Shadow of Death
by Sunshine Muncher
Summary: "I will kill you, I will make you suffer as I have, never ever forget that. Never, I will come for you." I found myself repeating those words. Why? (Written in first person view)
1. Chapter 1

**I had another idea. Urggh, I gotta try to focus on one book here. **

**well I hope you like it! **

**feel free to leave a review, favourite or follow. oh and there is minor swearing, possibly later, some violence too! **

I woke up to see a dusty bright sky. I lay there feeling the hard ground beneath me, utterly confused. Why was I here? What was this unfamiliar place? I pushed myself up blinking.

A strange dusty landscape stretch out before me, and suddenly a memory flashed before me. Searing fury and energy, focused on on thing, killing him, choking the life out of him. running through a dusty landscape, gunfire and shouting behind me, the taste of freedom filling my mind, then nothing.

Then two words came to me, Hyperion and Pandora. Pandora? What was Pandora, they had never told me, all I knew was how to fight, to kill, to survive. I raked my brain trying to remember, but I couldn't, it was all so fuzzy.

"I will kill you, I will make you suffer as I have, never ever forget that. Never, I will come for you." I found myself repeating those words. Why?

I looked down at the sand before me, I had never felt sand, I smiled as I ran my hand through it, my eyes falling on the tattoos that had been there for as long as I can remember. They never told me why, I only knew that I could use a terrifying power, the one I killed him with. They trained me till I was almost falling over, my powers fed by that strange purple substance.

I tried to stand up, but pain lanced through my leg, and I saw a huge cut that ran the length up my calf, the skag. I cried out In pain as my vision flashed. What was wrong why did I feel so weak?

I lay back enjoying the soft feeling of the sand underneath me, I closed my eyes for a moment, never had I felt this-this freedom.

A day must have passed, my throat was so dry from the air leeching my precious strength. I couldn't move, I felt the scars laced across my body, the fighting, the other subjects, that horrible lab.

I knew I was going to die, my powers that were so strong were spent, I watched as hour by hour, the tattoos only visible on my arm faded more and more. The heat made me feel so tired, so drained. I wanted to close my eyes, never open them again, and release myself from that horrible pain.

How much time was passing? Time seemed to stretch slower and slower.

Suddenly, I felt some tiny urge ancient and primal, the only thing on my mind,

survive.

I pushed myself up somehow, every sand dune seemed the same, nothing changing. Groaning, I staggered as if I were drunk in some random direction. How I did it? I couldn't ever know, for three days of the six that I was out in that terrible desert, I walked on.

Suddenly I began to hear roaring engines, and shouting. I was desperate. I noticed a large truck of some sort and there were red masked people shouting waving their arms, pointing at me, holding guns to my head.

I fell to my knees from exhaustion, dust filled the air and I saw feet in my blurred vision. "What's this pretty thing doing out here?" One man sneered roughly. I struggled to form words, but my throat was to dry. I coughed.

"That all you can say? I've heard better from a dying skag, come on boys take her into the technical, maybe we can make her scream!" My hopes fell, these people wouldn't help me, they were probably going to torture me to death. The thought sent fear through me. I struggled weakly as a man picked me up.

I could hear them laughing and jeering.

I didn't pay attention, I just didn't want to be in some horrible place again.

I felt searing pain in my stomach as one of them kicked me. I didn't care, I just went limp as they dragged me to their vehicle.

A shot rang out, and the man carrying me suddenly dropped me, his body falling heavily across mine. I could feel something wet on me. There was shouting that grew less and less present. Gunfire went back and forth over me. I stared at the sky unable to register what was going on.

Were they back? Coming to kill me? Or take me to that horrible lab again?

Was somebody saving me?

Soon the gunfire stopped, and I gave into exhaustion of the past is days and many years before that. My vision blurred, and all I saw was a face in front of me, laced with worry, and an arm with tattoos on it. Then, everything was black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the long wait there! When I'm in the middle of summer holidays I slow down get lazy and I've had a lot of separate stories I'm working on soooo, yeah. **

**My updates will be quite slow...**

**though enjoy! Tell me what you think, I'll have An easier time writing!**

Am I dead? Where am I? Why is everything so soft beneath me?

These thoughts crossed my mind as I began to feel aware once again. I wanted to open my eyes, but everything was so painful. I just wanted to rest.

"Is she going to be okay?" A voice asked nearby. I felt a hand on my forehead, "yes of course, she just needs to rest." My throat was so dry, I was so thirsty and hungry. I tried to remember when I last ate, when I last drank.

Who saved me?

I finally cracked my eyes open, feeling heavy. "Where am I?" I muttered. My vision came to focus and I saw a blue haired woman beside me tattoos across her arm and up her chest. "Who are you?" This ended with a painful cough.

"Careful, don't try to get up. You've been severely hurt." The woman said.

"Do-do you have water?" I asked staring at the ceiling. The woman turned around, "can one of you get her water?"

Who? Who else was there? I tried to sit up feeling my head spinning, but the woman pushed me back down gently. Moments later the woman gave me a cup. I stared at it. I sat up slowly not caring of my surroundings and reached for the cup.

I drank it down feeling my head clear a little, the wet quenching my dry throat. It never tasted better. The woman took the cup, she was looking concerned. "What happened to you? Where are you from?"

I tried to think, where was I from? Why couldn't I remember? All I could think of was Hyperion, and what I swore, but to who? I clenched my teeth and I turned to the woman, "I-I can't remember. I remember killing a man, a scientist, choking his life out, then running away. Then I woke up in a desert."

The woman was confused, "what is your name?"

My name, my name! What was my name? I remembered the man I killed, calling me...what did he call me? Raven? Yes, that was it. Why Raven? "Hey, hey, are you okay?"

I looked at the woman jolted out of my thoughts. "Th-they called me Raven."

"Who?" The blue haired woman was confused. I tried to remember, Hyperion only came to mind. My hand touched the collar around my neck, they put it there. Somehow I knew that Hyperion was important. "H-Hyperion."

"Hyperion? You were a test subject, weren't you?"

I thought, yes the labs, the other people, the poor mutated creatures. "Y-yes I was."

The woman turned to other people that I had had no care to notice. There was a look of shock on her face. I turned to see other people nearby. There was another woman, she had red hair and the same tattoos on her as the blue haired woman. A short haired man stood there staring in shock, a very short huge muscular man stood beside another tall person in a black suit of some leather, and a dark-skinned man stood beside the red haired woman.

"Who are you?" I asked feeling a little stronger now, but my head hurt horribly. The woman smiled, "my name is Maya. My other friends are Roland, leader of the Crimson Raiders, Axton, Lilith, Salvador, and Zer0." Maya motioned to each of them.

I stared at nothing feeling so worn out. "Where am I?"

"You're in Sanctuary. We found you out in The Dust being carried away by bandits, and when I got to you, I saw those tattoos." Maya's face seemed to light up in happiness, "are you a siren?"

Siren? What was a siren? "I don't know, I've always had these tattoos and had powers with them. If that is what I am, then yes, but they never told me, they only showed me how to use them."

I felt my head spinning, what was going on? I remembered hearing about a resistance from other scientists, The Crimson Raiders. This must be them and where they stayed, in this Sanctuary place. My head throbbed again. "I-I need to sleep."

Maya's gaze was soft, "of course, you need to gather your strength again." She laid her hand on my shoulder as I lay back down again, pulling the covers over me.

I closed my eyes and soon gave way to wonderful darkness.

I woke up, feeling stronger now. I was better able to focus. I looked around the room, the door to it was closed and it was for the most part bare. There was the bed I was in, a table, and a window letting in bright sunlight.

How long was I asleep for?

I sat up shakily and swung my legs over the edge of the bed fighting a wave of nausea. I noticed that the cuts all over my body were healed, except for the one on my calf, and several other painful ones on my back I didn't remember.

I noticed some new, well sort of new, clothes on the edge of the bed, I hadn't had new clothes in so long. I changed into them, my old clothes were tattered and filthy.

I stood up, my bones shrieking in protest. I slowly limped to the door, my tattoos were much more present now. For some reason, I was so weak that I stopped by the door and leaned against the wall. The collar was still around my neck. I grabbed it, cursing Hyperion. The collar wouldn't come off.

I was about to grab the door knob when suddenly the door swung open. I jumped a little as I saw the man Maya called Zer0. "Your awake, I will help you, Roland wants to see you."

I shook my head, "don't worry, I can walk." I stared warily at Zer0, this man was tall, taller than most people were, his suit was dark grey with white pieces. What concerned me the most was his mask. For some reason I was suspicious of him. I don't know why, but those years in the lab, made me afraid of every little noise, every face.

I followed Zer0 making slow progress down a hallway. More doors lined the hall.

This wasn't to bad, I could walk okay, and I got a little stronger with each step. At the end of the hall, Zer0 opened a door and Roland sat by a table studying some maps or something.

The man looked up, he smiled at me. "Glad to see your awake soldier." He held out his hand, "we weren't properly introduced before. I'm Roland leader of the Crimson Raiders, the resistance against Hyperion." I felt rage inside me at the name of Hyperion. I remembered my promise thinking that these people could help me.

I shook his hand.

"You seemed confused when you first woke up, and I hoped that you would remember where you came from."

I thought my hardest, why couldn't I remember? Pandora, Hyperion, what were they? I shook my head, 'I can't remember, I don't know where I am, who I am, where I am from, how Hyperion got me. I could barely remember my own name! What's happening to me?" I began to feel panic swelling in my chest.

Roland put his hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I won't press you now, you can tell me what you do know later, but I thought you may want to eat though." My stomach was clenched. I haven't eaten for weeks I realized.

"But first, we need to remove that collar before you do anything else." I put my hand on the collar, hating it, the thing the scientist would use to restrain me with and reward bad behaviour with pain.

Roland took a combat knife from his belt and cut the collar off cleanly. I felt instant relief as air flowed across that spot that for so long since I was very young had been covered.

I suddenly felt tired, but the mention of food made me so hungry, I could wait to rest.

"Raven, your awake!" A voice sounded at the doorway. I saw Maya standing there smiling. I smiled back feeling grateful towards the siren, she motioned to me to come and I followed her shakily down the stairs into the main room were there was a kitchen of sorts. Though it was quite a mess.

Maya sat me down in a chair and handed me a plate. I stared at it in surprise, my stomach was so empty and my head spun. The smell told me it was skag, perhaps not the most wonderful meal, but to me, it was absolutely delicious in my state. I finished the skag burger quickly.

I felt stronger now that I had eaten, I was so grateful to Maya. Maya was staring thoughtfully at me. "Raven?" She began, "do you have any idea about the outside world?"

I shook my head, "no, they never told me, or at least I don't think so, but I can't remember anything, how I even got here. But I don't think I'm from here, what is it called, Pandora?"

Maya nodded her eyes wide in anger. So then for the next hour, she explained to me about Pandora, the vaults, the resistance against Hyperion, and the president of the evil corporation, Handsome Jack. I soaked it in, realizing how secluded I was, but I now remembered a little more about where I was.

I once again tried to remember who I killed, who I swore to kill. What did they do to cause this memory loss? Just then I was jolted out of my thoughts as voices sounded.

A couple of the vault hunters walked in, Lilith, and Axton.

"So your awake," Lilith began, "I hope you're liking the place." I nodded managing a smile, Then I thought of asking about my being a siren. "Maya, what exactly is a siren?" The woman frowned thinking for a moment before answering. "Well from what I know, there can only be six siren's in the universe at one time. They each have a different unique power. Mine is phase locking, which suspends things in the air, Lilith can phase walk, which is entering another separate dimension."

I wondered what my powers were.

I stared at the ceiling not saying anything, this was all so strange and so much. But I wanted to get revenged, I wanted to kill this Handsome Jack, and kill that person I swore to kill. I rubbed my forehead slowly with my thumbs feeling a dull head ache coming on.

I sighed, "I can't do this-I need your help." I didn't open my eyes, "I need to kill him, he needs to die, Hyperion needs to be destroyed." I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"You will get your revenge and we will help you." It was Roland's voice. I opened my eyes again and looked into his. "Welcome soldier." He finished before walking away.

I sighed, this sounded okay, I could have a place to feel safe and people to watch my back. But my mind was still shadowed by hatred and terrible memories of endless suffering.

"I yawned suddenly, feeling so exhausted. "This-this is so overwhelming, I-I need to be alone."

Maya nodded understandingly and got up motioning to the other vault hunters to leave. They filled out thier separate ways, and I noticed that one Axton seemed to linger the longest before Maya pushed him out.

I closed my eyes and lay to clear my mind was almost impossible, but easier in the quiet room than before. I realized how tired I was and before long, I was drifting off head slipping down the side of the couch.

I woke up suddenly as I felt somebody gently pick me up. How long was I asleep for? I opened my eyes slightly, and glimpsed Axton's eyes looking into mine. I didn't care, I didn't want to walk up those stairs.

Before long I was laying in my bed, the covers pulled over me. Axton closed the door gently and I fell back asleep, feeling safer than I had ever felt before.

** OOHH! I think I may have romance in this story! can you tell now? It'll be a three or two way battle I think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So I have chapter 3 up now, it took a long time but I got it. **

**leave a review or favourite if you liked it!**

I woke up gasping in terror. Still half asleep, I could see angry faces looming around me crying out in pain and torment. I clawed at my ears to block them out, the dream which I had forgotten still surviving in scattered remanents.

I was panting hard as i looked around desperately for a light source, nothing was there it was pitch dark. There is no escaping this place, you cannot hope to make it out, we will hunt you down... The voice of he dead scientist filled my head, mocking and tormenting.

No, no, no!

In my mind the air was stiff and lifeless, the smell of rot and dampness surrounding me, choking me. No! No! Get me out of here! Run away! My brain was telling me. They're coming back for you!

I lost sense of place and time, succumbing to my primal instincts.

I ripped my blankets off feeling like my lungs were about to explode. I stumbled blindly to the door and fumbled at the knob for what seemed an eternity. I threw myself out the door gasping and hit the ground hard.

I heard a surprised shout and a slamming door, or a few.

I ignored them and lay on the ground shivering violently, what the hell was that dream about to involk such a response. "Raven, Raven, are you okay?" I buried my face in my hands ignoring the voice. I could feel sweat glistening all over my forehead.

Someone picked me up and held me, I ignored them not moving my hands. My heart beat madly in my chest, and I shuddered.

Why was this happening? I was falling apart, crumbling inside. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt tears leak out of them.

"Raven? You need to calm down, it will be fine. Hyperion can't hurt you." It was Roland, I shook my head and sobbed. "Raven, you need to listen. You can get through this, you are safe now."

But it wasn't okay. They had never known what it was like. The worst part was through my sobbing, I felt embarrassment that I couldn't hold together as I would have liked to.

Someone gently grabbed my wrists and moved my hands away. I didn't fight them.

I saw that with the noise I made, I woke everybody up, except for Salvador. Zer0 had an exclamation mark over his helmet, and a blue glowing sword was clutched in his hands. Everybody else had thier guns in their hands. They must have initially thought there was an attack. A vault hunter that I hadn't met yet with a big bird on is shoulder was there too. The bird shrieked and I flinched initially.

Roland grabbed my hands and held them, I looked back into his compassionate eyes. "Whatever happened in that place, is over. You are going to be fine now."

Roland's reassurances calmed me down slowly, and tears spilling down my face proceeded as I calmed down. "Hey here it'll be fine." I stiffened automatically when Axton's voice sounded in my ear.

I had been so oblivious to everything that I realized that Axton must be holding me.

I relaxed into his grip feeling comforted. "Are you going to be okay?" Lilith asked me. I nodded with a yawn, laying my head back against Axton. "It was just a dream." I murmured getting over the shock of it.

"Come on, you should go back to bed." Axton said. I stood up and smiled, whipping my eyes, "sorry for the racket." The others smiled, "no it's fine, though we thought that there was an attack or something." Lilith laughed.

I laughed weakly too. But still, tears leaked from my eyes though.

Axton stood up too and put his hand on my shoulder, genuine worry showing in his eyes, the reasons though, I didn't understand. "are you sure you'll be fine?"

I nodded, because it was just a memory, right?

I crawled back into my bed leaving the door open, and swifly fell back asleep. This time, no dreams plagued my sleep, though I felt a little guilty for waking everybody up.

The next morning, actually afternoon, I got up yawning heavily, eyes fuzzy from exhaustion. After the incident with my dream, I felt drained mentally but today I was stronger than before. My stomach growled again.

I sat on my bed staring absently at my hands for no reason. I saw the tattoos on me were back to thier original glow, my skin was very pale I realized. It was some time that I sat there because a shadow fell across the doorway and I looked up to see the guy with the bird on his shoulder.

"Hey Raven, I was wondering if you were okay. You haven't come down all afternoon." I smiled, "I'm okay, just tired."

The man walked up to me and held his hand out, "I'm Mordecai by the way, and this here's Bloodwing." The bird ruffled its wings and looked at me steadily.

"You wanna come down? There's some food left from lunch if you feel like it." I nodded and stood up slowly, "yeah, I'm kinda hungry." My 'kinda' was though perhaps unexaggerated because my stomach let out a huge groan.

"Or how about really hungry?" Mordecai grinned at me in amusement.

I shrugged smiling too.

Mordecai took me downstairs, waiting patiently at the bottom when I had to slowly limp down, and I sat at the table there as he handed me a mug with something strong but good smelling, and a plate with food I also didn't recognize.

Mordecai must have seen my confusion because he smiled and said, "that in the mug's coffee, and on the plate is pizza from Moxxis." I'd never had coffee or pizza before, but there were many things I still had yet to eat.

I took a hungry bite of the pizza and let the flavours sep into my tongue. I had definitely never eaten food like this. The coffee I found was pleasant. I liked the bitterness of it a lot.

When I finished I sat back feeling good. Mordecai sat across the table and he leaned closer and asked, "so Raven, Roland told me about what happened to you, and I'm sorry to hear. But there isn't any chance you can remember?" I shook my head frustrated I couldn't recall my time in that Hyperion lab.

Mordecai sighed and leaned back. "Roland wanted me to also get you equipped with guns and shit, when you are ready, he also asked if you would join the Crimson Raiders."

I was surprised, me? I realized it would benefit me to join them. I could learn so much about, well lots of things, my siren powers included. I'd even have friends actually, and I could kill every Hyperion bastard possible. I could kill him, I then realized.

I almost got distracted when I was beginning to cycle into the question of who him was. i snapped myself out in time. I nodded, "yes, I have nowhere to go anyways."

Mordecai smiled, "well then, welcome officially to the Raiders."

Maya walked through the door at the same moment, "Raven, good afternoon. You slept fine I hope?" I nodded. "Good, I was thinking you'd like to see Sanctuary and meet some of the people."

I shrugged, "why not, I feel more stronger today and feel like I can walk now." I followed Maya outside leaving Mordecai sitting there, but he followed anyways hurrying to catch up.

Maya led me into the main plaza and down a back street. Mordecai followed very closely. We came up to a place that had the sign Moxxis on it. I walked in and at a bar table was a woman who had white makeup all over her face with two circles of blush on her cheeks. She also had a purple dress on that was rather, revealing.

The woman who seemed to be the owner greeted Maya, "well hey there Maya, come for a drink? I see I've got a new customer."

Maya shook her head, "sorry, Moxxi, not today, I've brought someone to meet you though.""Mmhm, you look like a real sweetie, though you appear as though you could use a little to drink." I smiled unsure of what to say at the compliment, though living so secluded from the world most of my life, I didn't have great socialization skills.

Maya introduced the woman, "so this is Moxxi here, she owns this bar. And Moxxi, this is our newest member, Raven."

Moxxi smiled at me, "pleased to meet you, I see your a siren there. Word's gone around like lighting about you. I was hoping we could meet."

The rest of the day went by quickly, Maya took me to see the guns dealer Marcus, Dr. Zed, I thought he was very strange, in a disturbing way and decided to leave Clap Trap and Scooter the owner of Catch a ride stations, at explained.

(For many obvious reasons)

When we got back to Raiders HQ as it was called, I felt pretty sore and exhausted from just walking around.

I sat down on the couch relieved, and Maya pulled up a chair. Mordecai left, saying he was going to Moxxis.

"So what do you think of this place?"

I laughed, "better than what it was when I was still in that goddamned place." I was about to say something else when Axton came in the room. When he saw me he smiled and sat down on the couch beside me. I noticed Maya give him a look, not negatively, but something else.

"So Raven, you enjoying Sanctuary so far? Axton asked me. I shrugged, "it's better than that lab." "I'm glad to hear that you've joined the Raiders, I'm sort of interested in what your powers as a siren are."

I shrugged, "I don't even know what I can really do though." Axton smiled and put his hand on my shoulder, "don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Maya seemed to figure out what was going on with Axton, because when he wasn't paying attention, she flashed me a wide grin. I raised my eyebrow not understanding still.

When Axton put his hand back down, for some reason, I felt a little disappointed, only a little though.

I sighed and stared at the scars lacing my arms that I had acquired over those long years. Many scars were faded and I had completely forgotten where they came from. But others, I hadn't forgotten, the ones that those scientists made while forcing me to train my powers.

They had removed so much remorse from me, I had no feeling, I became uncaring and far removed, it was unforgivable, what they did, and they had to die all of them.

But why were they training me? What was their purpose? He must have told me, but what? It was still so fuzzy, I growled frustrated.

I had blanked out of reality to the point where suddenly a hand tapping my shoulder made me jump. Out of reflex I leaped back and fell off the couch, landing on my butt, heart thudding, expecting an attack. I came back to reality and Axton and Maya were staring at me confused. I shook my head and laughed, "sorry, I um, sort of blanked out there, you just surprised me, that's all."

Maya sighed, "I thought something was wrong with you for a moment so I just wanted to make sure you were with us."

I got up and dusted off my pants, I then sat back down. "Were you talking to me? Because if I didn't hear, I'm sorry." Maya shook her head, "don't worry about it, I think you're just tired, that's all."

I nodded relieved to have an excuse. I got up seeing that it was evening already, "I'm going to go up." I stated. Maya frowned, "the others are coming back soon, don't you want to stay and eat supper?" I shook my head though my stomach growled a little bit. I just wanted to be alone in silence right now. The thought of other people, even if they were helping me, seemed to unnerve me and I'd rather go hungry.

I walked up stairs without another word still having a little trouble with my leg with Maya's concerned gaze following me. Did she sense something was amiss? That I just don't feel well? Probably.

I sighed locking my room door and lay down on my bed staring at the ceiling for an innumerable amount of time, gradually, I heard the sounds signalling the return of the other vault hunters in the downstairs lounge. I ignored it, quite easily since I had to learn to block out horrible disturbing screams and noises coming from that place...

The evening wore on and the smell of cooked food was making my stomach growl hard, I didn't move from the bed though. At some point i heard footsteps outside, someone knocked gently on my door, I didn't answer at all and the person left.

When the sounds downstairs stopped and it was around midnight already when I checked out my window, I was already dizzy with hunger. I got up and tiptoed to my door and unlocked it carefully. I then made my way downstairs. It was at least empty, except for the sleeping form of the insane scientist, Patricia Tannis, on the washing machines.

I stopped inside the kitchen wondering where is find food from since I hadn't really been in here yet,and this was my first time really seeing a kitchen as far as I could remember.

I decided to look in the fridge, where it was most logical that food would be kept, I gripped the handle and was about to pull when a voice made me jump, "hey Raven, I thought you'd never come down." It was Axton.

I sighed in relief cursing my jumpiness. "Oh, hey Axton, I was just hungry." The commando smiled, "sorry, there's no left over dinner, but if you sit down I can make you something." I shrugged, "if you'd like to, then sure."

I sat down at the table. It was nice of Axton to do that, even though it was the middle of the night. "So why didn't you come down today?" Axton asked me as he quietly pulled things out of the cupboards. "Zer0 was cooking. he makes a really good meal you know, better than I can." I shrugged, "I just didn't feel like it...where you waiting down here this entire time?"

Axton nodded, "yeah why?" I shook my head, "it doesn't matter." Okay...that's not strange at all... I thought, but didn't say it.

"So Mordecai told me he's gonna show you guns and things." I nodded. "Well, if you want, I could teach you. Mordecai's a sniper, but I could show you different guns, sniping is a completely different thing to handle, in fact it's quiet difficult."

I shrugged, it didn't matter. I had seen guns, but the bastard scientist never let me use one, so the difference between, a sniper rifle and other guns such as an smg, didn't really stick out to me. Though personally I'd seen the elemental smg's and sort of liked the look of them. "I don't really care who teaches me to be honest I sighed, though your probably right."

Axton grinned then resumed cooking. I sat in silence for a good ten more minutes and then he handed me a steaming plate of something. It smelled pretty delicious. I smiled and the commando sat down in one of the other chairs across from me.

I picked up the fork my mouth watering trying to control myself so I wouldn't eat like an embarrassing mess. Though I was so hungry I almost didn't care. But Axton didn't seem to mind at all. Which I was glad for.

When I finished eating I yawned and thanked Axton before going up to my room and falling asleep easily.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is chapter 4! I at first had trouble trying to think of three other siren powers to use until I remembered "Postbellum For The Certifably Insane" by SW4G M4N.**

**there was a good description for what the other siren powers could be in that book. I apologize if anyone took this as copying but the credit for description of the other siren powers goes completely to SW4G M4N.**

**plus if you hadn't read any of the books, especially Borderlands books by SW4G M4N, then read them. They are excellent books all of them and anyone interested in Borderlands books should read them.**

**now for chapter 4. If you have enjoyed it so far leave a favourite or review. I like to know if you enjoy what you are reading. :)**

"So Axton cooked a meal for you last night?" Lilith asked with a grin. I nodded. "You know, him and Mordecai both seemed to be a little disappointed about you not coming down yesterday. And Axton seems to be acting quite out of the normal." Lilith winked at me. "How does Axton act as normal then?" I asked a little bit flustered. "Maya doesn't usually, agree with him." Lilith said telling me all I needed to know.

I wasn't feeling comfortable with this conversation so I changed the topic, I wanted to know about my siren powers more anyways. "So um Lilith, I wanted to ask you about siren powers. Do you know much about all the separate powers?"

Lilith was silent for a moment, "sort of. I know that there is phase walk, that's my power, phase lock, and phase shift. But the rest, I don't know and never bothered to find time to find out...perhaps Tannis may know why don't we ask her?"

I followed Lilith out of the kitchen and we found Tannis staring at some putrid looking mixture under her microscope. The scientist looked up as we approached, clearly unpleased at being distracted. "Lilith, How can I help you?" The woman asked. "I wanted to know if you have any info on siren powers, Raven is curious about them. And so am I ."

Tannis straightnened up looking pleased to be asked this. "Well, as far as I have learned, there are six unique powers, phase locking, phase walk, phase shift, phase shock, phase drain, and phase blast.

With phase shock, a siren can release an electrical blast that can shut down electrical devices, shields, and paralyze other things and of course kill them. The siren can also bend electrical energy to hack into systems and such.

Phase blast is an ability similar to Lilith's phase walk. Though they can create an elemental explosion usually a source of heat. It makes it a quite deadly ability since the siren could also create sections of the air to explode on the spot without gathering the energy first.

And finally is the most deadly power, phase drain. The siren can use this power to drain any organism of its strength, even fatally. In any situation the siren can empower themselves with that energy and use it in almost any variation of all six powers. It is quite a terrifying power to have."

I soaked that information in, which power did I have? I thought of back to that lab when I escaped and killed the scientist.

I suddenly remembered my hands wrapped tightly around his throat, him struggling to breath as I drained his energy. The other soldiers desperately trying to stop me from using that energy to blow them into bits.

I shuddered in revulsion. I didn't want this power, I realized what the devastation they could have made me do. No wonder they imprisoned me.

I groaned and sat back on a chair. It was actually Tannis' chair and she looked as though she was about to protest, but Lilith shot the insane scientist a death glare and shut her up.

"I could have been used to kill all of you. Hyperion would have used me as a weapon..." I wanted to throw up, how many innocent lives had the scientist made me destroy to obtain this goal, even if they were not humans?

I spoke quietly and halting, "they were going to use me...they-Hyperion was going to make a weapon...my powers..."

Lilith leaned closer, "what can you do Raven?"

"I-when I killed him...I drained all his energy out and blew up the other soldiers with it, then I used that last of the energy to run away..."

Lilith let out a small gasp, probably realizing the danger I posed to her friends and Sanctuary.

Suddenly more memories rushed back to me.

_The cowering little boy thrown in front of me, tears streaming from his eyes after witnessing me killing his mother. "no!" I shouted, "I won't kill him!" The scientist didn't let up. He grabbed the collar around my neck._

_"Of course you will, your powers are more important than this innocent life." I gasped as the collar shocked me. I clenched my teeth squeezed my eyes shut and focused my powers._

_The child screamed and when I opened my eyes up, he lay there cold and lifeless. "See, Raven? If you cooperate, it's so much simpler. Keep that up and you're time here will be made much easier."_

_I growled trying to say something or focus my power on him, to do something, anything, but the collar wouldn't let me, I was just too weak..._

I let out a sob as I came back to reality. "I can't believe it, the lives, the innocent lives I took, all for nothing."

Lilith wrapped her arms around me and I cried into her shoulder for a long time it seemed.

Axton came into the room with a few more unfamiliar people who must have been vault hunters. A red headed girl who looked younger than I was, she also had a mechanical arm. A massive man with a mask that looked like the pshyco bandits I killed, and another huge slab of muscles.

I ignored them though.

The girl asked Lilith, "is she the new siren?" Lilith nodded. Axton gazed at me in concern and the other two were more difficult to tell.

I sniffed and pulled away from Lilith. "I'm sorry, my name is Raven." I forced a smile and wiped my eyes.

"Hi Raven, my name is Gaige." The red headed girl smiled sadly. "The other two are Brick, and Krieg, and I'm sure you've met Axton."

"I POWDERED MY COCKTAIL FOR THE RIB CAGE SLAUGHTER!" Krieg shouted raising his buzz axe over his head. In response I flinched involuntarily, pretty obviously too.

Gaige turned and glared at Krieg, something probably not very many poeple could get away with, before saying to me, "sorry, that's his way of saying hi. Don't worry though you'll get used to it."

I smiled still feeling upset. Lilith gave them a look and said, "hey guys I think you should go somewhere for a while, Raven needs time alone."

Gaige nodded, "welcome to the crimson raiders." and beckoned to her friends. They all went off somewhere. Except for Axton.

He came up and sat down on a chair by me. "Raven, are you okay? You seem really...upset." Lilith nodded curious and concerned by my sudden break down.

I hesitated for a bit not wanting to really talk about it, but I did. "When...The scientist," I spat out that word angrily, "would train me. He-he forced me to kill things...things I didn't want to..."

I felt more tears leak out of my eyes when I thought of the innocent little boy. How could that have happened? I shut my eyes and dug my nails into my palms before taking a shuddering breath.

"I-I remembered something, I remember him forcing me to kill a young innocent boy... I had no other choice, the collar...the boy was frightened and crying, I had killed his mother in front of him and I tried to resist-"

"Don't think about it. it's hard, but you can make up for it by getting revenge on Hyperion." Lilith hugged me tightly before letting go.

Axton was silent, though I could see he really felt bad for me, he looked as though he didn't know what to say. I sighed, "I know I can get revenge, but I can't get rid of that guilt. I've felt guilt for years, it drives me crazy."

"If it makes you feel any better, we've all killed things on Pandora." Axton added. I grew frustrated, how could they not get it? I then suddenly snapped at the commando, "alright then, you try killing a helpless child, see how that goes for you!"

Axton looked away his eyes flashing and he muttered, "It's not always been easy for me either." Lilith gave Axton a hard stare, "Axton I think you need to leave Raven alone for awhile."

Axton sighed, "see you later." got up, and trudged out the door.

Axton left and my eyes teared up more. I held it back though and took more deep breaths. Now I felt a little guilty for snapping at the commando, but oh well.

I stood up wiping my eyes then without a word walked away my mind stewing. I walked out the door with Lilith watching. She didn't try to stop me though.

I strolled around Sanctuary not paying any attention to the glances and nods directed at me from various other citizens. Eventually my feet took me to Moxxis. I stopped outside and thought about getting some alcohol, even though I'd never had any before.

I stepped inside the noisy place and saw Mordecai with Bloodwing sitting on his shoulder over at the bar table and sat down beside him. He nodded at me, "hey Raven, you comin to get a drink?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, I guess." I sat down beside him and Bloodwing cocked her head before cawing softly.

"That's right, you look like you need some good hard stuff. Hey Moxxi, you mind getting another rakk ale for me?" Mordecai waved over at the woman. Moxxi glanced at me, "you gettin your first drink hun? Be careful, it can be quite strong the first time I wouldn't have too much."

She grabbed a bottle of what Mordecai called rakk ale, poured some of it in a smaller glass and placed both the glass and bottle on the table. I took the glass and studied it while Mordecai handed Moxxi the money. I looked at him and smiled, "thanks for paying."

He waved his hand, "no problem, I'd pay for you any day, ain't that right Blood?" The bird shrieked and flapped her wings.

Moxxi noticed the meaning behind Mordecai's words and grinned before winking at me and proceeding to clean the bar table. "You look quite down there, I would have offered you a free drink anyways, mind telling me what's on your mind?"

I looked at the ground silent for a while. I thought about what I would say, but no words really came to me, except a single tear in my eye. "I-I don't really feel like talking about it."

"It's okay hun, you must have gone through some tough times. I won't bother you. But if you need to talk, I'm always here."

I smiled and wiped my eye, "thanks Moxxi."

I held the glass up and slightly suspicious I smelled the contents inside. Right away I flinched back at the sharpness of the fumes. Mordecai beside me suddenly snorted in laughter, "you're supposed to drink it, not smell it!"

I felt my cheeks colour in embarrassment, "I just wasn't sure I guess..." Mordecai snorted again, "go on, try it out! Just don't have too much at once though."

I looked at the liquid in the glass doubtfully and took a sip out of it. The liquid went down my throat and right away a sort of warmth spread throughout me. Though it was so shocking and unexpected my eyes went wide right away.

Mordecai grinned at me widely, "so how'd you like it?"

"Very strong." I coughed.

"Heh heh, don't worry it's always a shock the first time."

I took another sip slightly larger feeling it rush through me pleasantly.

Because I'd never had alcohol before, Mordecai told me I may not want to have too much of it at first. I did find that alongside the bitterness of the flavour, I could only manage a half more in the glass.

I set it down and felt my head spinning slightly and almost pleasantly. Mordecai was finishing his third bottle and he grinned at me, "so you like it?"

I nodded feeling a little better, though I wasn't sure if I'd drink it all the time. I got up and pushed the bottle over to Mordecai, "you can have the rest of it-thanks."

"No problem, anytime you want."

I smiled at the hunter and left the bar also stopping to say bye to Moxxi. I left the building with my mind clearer. I felt a new energy surge through me, and though I wasn't completely recovered from my ordeals, I felt ready to take on all of Hyperion, and make them all wish that they'd never created me.

I wanted to start a new life free from that place. I would be the most powerful siren, and kill Handsome Jack with the vault hunters.

If only I could gain my memories back.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so here is chapter five. I'll let you readers know that this'll probably be my slowest book to update from now on, plus I got writers block on this after chapter one, so it's not as good as I'd like it to be.**

**but enjoy!**

"Okay now shoot."

I fired the pistol at the...living dummy, and hit him square in the heart. How he didn't die, I didn't know.

This time I didn't cringed or flinch either, I guess I'd just become numb to killing, or something. Plus Marcus told me he was a Hyperion goon the shop keeper caught trying to get intel on the Crimson Raiders, so that helped.

Axton smiled at me impressed, "Raven, for only a week of learning to use a gun, you do really well. I'm impressed."

I looked down at the ground pleased with myself.

"Correct your stance, if he had been moving, you would have missed." Zer0 grumbled behind me.

"Well for her first week, I thought that was pretty good." Mordecai shot angrily at the assassin.

"Accuracy and, precision is everything, try harder."

I rolled my eyes, "Zer0 why do you have to be so negative? I mean, come on I've never used a gun before a week ago!"

Five weeks had passed since I came here and I'd recovered quickly thanks to the other vault hunters. I'd gotten to know them more, and Maya and Axton had become my first closest friends.

Though I had recovered, I still had no memories of my past, and a week before now Roland had decided that I was strong enough to start taking an active part in the group.

So Roland decided to get me training with a gun, he wanted Axton, and Zer0 in the end to oversee and help me with my training. Mordecai liked to come along and watch anyways.

Zer0 didn't answer me.

"Okay then, be that way."

"..."

Axton distracted me suddenly, "anyways Raven, you did really good there, how'd you like to try out somthing else now? Preferably elemental weapons?"

I smiled and handed Axton his pistol back, "sure."

Axton went and asked Marcus the gun dealer to borrow some elemental Maliwan equipment. Marcus of course was all too happy that he had a new potential customer that would be probably a vault hunter and handed Axton a crate full of various Maliwan guns.

Axton came back and set the crate down. "Okay so since you seem to have a good handle on guns you can start with whatever you want to."

I looked through the various weapon types and an incendiary repeater caught my eye. I picked it up and aimed aimed it at the target. I pulled the trigger and the gun cocked only slightly it my hand.

The bullet hit the man in the throat and caught fire. I smiled as the fire died then picked up a corrosive repeater. It wasn't bad, but I was drawn to the effect of the fire more.

I came to a rocket launcher, but immediately disliked it. It was far too cumbersome. I tried a sniper rifle, but Axton had been right when he told me I probably wouldn't like being a sniper.

And Zer0 said I held the gun terrible, which was true as much as his smart, sarcastic, negative comments annoyed me, it was sort of awkward.

The machine gun was okay, and I would probably use it too, but not that much.

I finally came to the smg's deciding that I liked incendiary elemental damage the most. I picked up the smg, it felt good in my hands, and fired at the target. Satisfied I put it back.

"Okay, I think I like the smg and repeater."

Axton nodded grinning and picked up the crate carrying it back around to Marcus. Zer0 though, shook his head silently.

"What?"

"Nothing."

In a couple of weeks, I'd begun to figure out why Lilith and Gaige disliked Zer0 so much. He never spoke normally, had impossibly smart comebacks for everything a person said, and he was overly protective of his companions.

Axton was less annoying, though him and Mordecai followed me around as much as possible, it didn't creep me out at least, and Maya, Gaige, and Lilith all insisted that those two liked me.

The thing was, no one had ever liked me, obviously, and I'd never liked anyone. I didn't really feel anything for Axton or Mordecai, though they were good friends, some of my first friends I'd made, and Axton felt more like a brother to me.

I for some reason wished that Zer0 would stop being so negative to me and it pissed me off. Then I had an idea, "hey Zer0, I'm not that good with guns, but watch what I can do."

Zer0 grunted and turned his head a question mark over his visor, so did Mordecai. I focused my power my tattoos glowing black, then I pulled the energy from the target.

He screamed as it was drained from him quite visibly and then he hung limply. I focused then on the air around him and he exploded in a burst of flames.

My tattoos stopped glowing as I breathed out relaxing and saw Mordecai and Axton staring at me in awe.

Zer0 just grunted and crossed his arms not saying anything.

"Holy shit Raven, that was awesome!" Axton exclaimed, "Jack is so going down!" Mordecai nodded his mouth still open. I felt a little bit warmed inside but disappointed Zer0 never said anything.

I shook my head quickly, what was I thinking?

"Anyways," Axton continued, "I decided that since you liked those guns so much," Axton handed me the two guns. I took them my mouth half open in surprise. "Um...thanks Axton...I didn't think you'd get them for me!"

Mordecai opened his mouth about to say something then closed it.

I smiled happily at the commando and I noticed his cheeks flushing a little bit, which made me almost laugh. Maya would have loved to see that.

I slung the smg over my back and found the holster for the repeater.

"Well, that's enough for today." Mordecai said with a smile, "Roland told me that now since you've had a good week to practice, you can go out on your first mission."

"Really?"

"What? Why?"

Zer0 and I said at the same time, his a disbelieving tone, mine an excited tone. I glared at the assassin he saw me glaring and quickly looked away. Mordecai sighed, "Zer0, she's a siren and plenty strong now. As part of our team, Raven can and should obviously go on missions!"

I glanced thankfully at Mordecai then followed the others out of Marcus's store stopping to thank him for letting me use his guns. "No problem, anytime you need, I'm glad to sell to you." The arms dealer replied.

We went back to Raiders HQ where Salvador, Gaige, Krieg, and Maya waited with Roland. "So how'd training go?" Maya asked me.

"Good." I replied with a smile.

"I see that you've found yourself some guns, good choices." Maya nodded at them.

"So what are we going to be doing?" I asked Roland who had been waiting for our return.

"As part of a test to your reliability and strength in battle," Roland addressed me for the first part of the briefing, "I've been hearing reports of another bandit causing a lot of ruckus and they're fairly powerful and dangerous too. I'd like you all to find them and make sure they are completely wiped out."

I smiled and glanced at Zer0 quickly, this could be a chance to prove myself. Luckily, no one noticed me glance at him. Gaige never would have let me hear the end of it.

We left for the fast travel station, after Roland completed his breifing, with me trailing at the back. Axton fell in beside me silently. We made it to the station quietly, and I watched fascinated while Maya keyed in their coordinates on the digital hologram display.

I then felt the most sudden and strange feeling of being pulled apart, not painfully and being thrown all over then rearranged. Then we stood out in what was called The Dust.

The Dust. The place I had woken up in, a complete dust bowl.

We stood outside a garage owned by a woman named Ellie. She was supposed to direct us to where the bandit clan was. "Well hey there vault hunters!" A cheery voice sounded from the garage.

A huge woman came out of the open garage doors. This must be Ellie.

"Roland told me he has a job for yous. Said to direct you to the new bandit clan taking over."

Maya nodded. "Hey Ellie. That's correct, we also have a new member with us too." Maya nodded to me, I stepped forward and uttered a hi.

"Well hey there, I reckon I saw your friends carrying you to Sanctuary. Weren't able to introduce you, what's your name Hun?"

"Raven." I replied quietly.

"Anyways, we need to know where that bandit clan is." Maya continued sensing my discomfort. "Oh well right over yonder where the Hodunks used to live before you kicked their buts out o that place."

"Alright thanks Ellie see you later."

I followed my new friends inside the huge garage and watched as Maya keyed in buttons on Scooters Catch a Ride station and two large vehicles digistructed on the platforms beside me.

Zer0 and Maya got into the driver seats of each and Salvador and Gaige jumped into the gunner seats. I hesitated unsure of where to go when Axton tapped my shoulder and led me into the back of Zer0's vehicle.

And Krieg hopped into Maya's vehicle by himself since he took the entire space up in the back.

"You ready for your first piece of action?" Axton asked me. I nodded a little nervous. "This'll be awesome! I can't wait to see your siren powers!" Gaige grinned from the turret seat. I smiled back nervously and gripped the side as Zer0 jerked the truck forward.

I saw Axton equipping his machine gun and decided I might want to do the same. I took out my new smg that Axton bought me sort of excited to test it out. I had been already equipped with a shield, grenade mod, and of course an echo device long ago.

I was a bit unprepared for the vehicle, because Zer0, while driving took every short cut possible. Short cut as in driving straight over mounds and bumpy terrain that jerked me around and made it hard to stay still.

Axton noticed my annoyed face and chuckled, "if you think this is bad, try being in here when Gaige is driving."

"Hey! I heard that!" Gaige shouted through her echo.

"Come on Gaige, you drive horrible, admit it!" Maya laughed.

"Hey! I only try to hit every creature in sight. I don't drive that bad otherwise!"

"Gaige, last time you drove and didn't try to hit everything in sight, you made Zer0 and I so sick we almost threw up when we got out of he technical." Axton said smiling.

"It's not my fault nobody taught me how to drive these things-BUZZARDS!"

I heard a thudding noise in the air and looked up to see three buzzards driven by bandits swooping towards us.

Kreig was the first to react. He shot his gun hitting an engine on a buzzard and making it swerve violently.

I steadied myself and feeling nervous, hoping I wouldn't make a fool of myself I aimed and pulled the trigger. Bullets sprayed around one of the buzzers but I missed.

"Hah! Missed!" The pilot shouted mockingly.

I tried again, but missed. Another roar sounded and I saw an identical bandit technical skidding towards us. Axton and Salvador were preoccupied so I aimed and fired.

This time the bullets didn't miss, infact several of them hit the driver and ignited. The man screamed and the technical swerved away. I smiled pleased with myself.

I jumped as suddenly a spray of bullets bounced off my shield but didn't break it. I then fired at the vehicle and hit an engine or something because the vehicle just exploded.

Axton grinned and shouted, "great job Raven! Now why don't you take out that badass buzzard, its being a real pain!"

I assumed Axton meant my siren powers, so I spent a few seconds deciding what to do to its pilot then focused my powers. Four of the bandits sitting in the buzzard screamed in agony then fell lifeless to the ground.

I grinned feeling their energy teeming inside me, I then held my hand out and clenched it in a fist. The buzzard started to fail, then it crumpled before everyone's eyes and crashed into the ground, the pilot mashed and torn up inside the crumpled metal.

"Holy shit! That. Was. Awesome!" Salvador shouted into the echo.

I leaned back panting slightly from the heavy use on my powers. Machines were harder to destroy and I'd never really had enough practice with that. I'd mostly killed living things in all my time of training.

The other two buzzards were destroyed and now we were pulled up outside of a fortified wall with a small door, too small to fit the technicals through.

I climbed out perhaps the least graceful out of the vault hunters and took my smg out again. Maya came over a look of awe on her face. "Wow Raven, that was really awesome. I had no idea you could actually do that."

"Thanks." I smiled a little bit embarrassed.

"Yeah amigo! You killed that pendejos like nothing!" Salvador slapped me on the back meaning to be friendly, but he forgot that I was sort of the lightest person in the group plus I was really slight. I stumbled forward and only just managed to not go flying face first over in the sand. Everyone else laughed though I did to.

"Okay, time to get serious." Axton cut everyone off. "We need to go and kill the bandits off, hopefully it'll be easy. Zer0 I want you to stay back and snipe the bandits, and since this is your first fight Raven, I'd like you to stick back with Zer0."

I looked at him then protested, "but I've fought things before, why can't I join all of you?"

Axton sighed, "because I don't want you to get yourself hurt or killed."

"You know I can fight just fine. Come on give me a chance."

Axton shook his head, "no Raven."

The other vault hunters seemed to agree, or they thought I'd get in the way, and Krieg never really seemed to care, he only cared if he could kill things. But then Gaige and Zer0 spoke up for me.

"Hey come on Axton, you're just being controlling. Remember you thought I'd always be in the way, but I proved you wrong. Give Raven a chance." Gaige piped in.

Axton sighed, "Gaige, you-"

"Give Raven a chance, she is strong and willful, she also gets in my way." Zer0 said cutting Axton off.

I turned and glared at the assassin. "What? I don't get in the way you-"

"Okay okay, you can fight!" Axton said quickly giving Zer0 a glare. "But you have to stick close to Maya."

I felt relieved, I didn't want to be stuck alone with Zer0 anyways, plus I wanted to show everyone that even though I'd been through some horrible experiences, I wasn't weak and helpless.

I nodded in confirmation satisfied.

I followed everyone in Krieg was striding ahead no doubt excited to split some skulls. I watched Zer0 swiftly climb up the wall and then we were under the archway.

I peered through the shoulders of my companions and saw a bunch of trailers and huts spread all over the large clearing. There were stakes with skulls stuck onto them and signs that said, "trouble," or "piss off" in blood red, well probably

in blood.

I took a deep breath and looked at Maya beside me. We met eyes and the siren nodded in reassurance. Axton gave the signal and Krieg raced out screaming,

"I HAVE MEAT BICYCLES FOR ALL OF YOU!"

The few bandits that had been peacefully patrolling screamed in terror at the massive psycho that ran at them full speed. I watched as Krieg cleaved open a bandit's head and ran onto another who was shouting and desperately firing at the massive man.

I ran beside Maya and we worked together perfectly, being sirens of course. She phase locked a bandit in the air and I focused draining his energy swiftly, the air around him crackling and glowing black.

Then the bandit's body fell limp to the ground. Maya high-fived me then we focused on another onslaught. I used my power and lifted up a psycho and threw him against a wall breaking his neck.

Zer0 up on the wall took shots and every once in a while a bandit would drop dead in front of me. Though it happened a lot frustrating me and making wonder if that was purposeful.

The place cleared out quickly and even though I hadn't killed as many bandits as the other vault hunters, I was still proud of my accomplishments and satisfied I proved myself.

The rest of the vault hunters were satisfied too with my performance on the battle field. "Raven that was great! Sorry I doubted you before though." Axton came up to me earning a look of surprise from Gaige and Maya looked like she was about to say something, but closed her mouth.

"You fight well Raven, I should not have doubted you, welcome to the team." Zer0 said coming up to meet us. I looked at the ground awkwardly, feeling good from the praises, but slightly embarrassed.

We looked through the loot that the bandits dropped not really finding much of interest, though I found a good machine gun which I decided to keep, but only if I really needed it. With everything looked through, I followed everyone back to the technicals and we drove back to Ellie's garage.

"So how'd it go? It looks like you pulled through fine there!" Ellie greeted them. Maya nodded with a smile, "it was fine. thanks for the help Ellie." and we continued to the fast travel station.

Back in Sanctuary, we walked back to the Raiders Hq and met up with Roland. "So you've finished the mission, how'd Raven do?" Maya answered, "she was great. Infact, we are lucky to have her."

Roland nodded pleased and asked me, "did you enjoy the mission?"

I nodded, "yeah, if you call killing bandits enjoyable, then yeah."

The group chuckled at my comment and Roland did too.

"Infact, if its okay, I'd like to join you on missions more often."

Maya looked at her friends and they nodded. "Of course."

"Just one thing." I added, wanting this to happen above all. "When am I getting my revenge?"

**Hah! I bet you thought that Axton was going to be Raven's love, well nope! Plus I thought I'd leave a cliffhanger here. **

**So I hope you liked it! Leave a review, favourite, or follow if you did! **


	6. Chapter 6

**So here is chapter 6. I decided to change the way that Bloodwing gets captured to fit with the story. And I posted a chapter way sooner! Hooray!**

"Raven, how are you supposed to get revenge? you can't even remember where you came from, never mind who this guy is." Maya was arguing. "Plus we still have the problem of handsome Jack."

I glared at the ground, not sure if I was angry at Maya or myself for being unable to remember anything. I tried once again and failed to recall anything new.

"Well if I had to guess," Mordecai butted in, "the place Raven came from would probably be the Wildlife preserve if anywhere."

Maya looked thoughtful, "I suppose, though the last time we were there, I saw no signs of any human test subjects, but there were announcements that suggested it."

I thought really hard and thought that The Wildlife Preserve must be the place. Over the time I was free, I did manage to remember the other test subjects with me, and I knew that most of the creatures were skags and stalkers. It had to be the place.

"I need to go there," I gazed pleadingly at Roland, "I have to go there, I need to regain my memories, get my revenge, and most of all, I need answers."

"What do you think Roland?" Maya asked.

The soldier was silent before saying, "I don't really want to risk much more time because of Handsome Jack," he looked about to agree with Maya, but something in my eyes changed his mind. "but I promised you would have your revenge. We can try this if you'd like to, and prehaps you will gain some memory back if you go to that place."

I nodded relieved. I would finally be able to get my revenge! And if I remembered I could kill the person who held me captive in that horrible place.

Maya was silent before agreeing too.

Lilith who had been sitting in silence listening to Mordecai, Roland, and Maya got up and said, "I don't know about you, but I'd love to kick some Hyperion butt anyways."

"Then we can go?" I asked hopefully.

Roland hesitated then said, "I don't see why not. But, you need some time to rest anyways before you go."

"Thank you so much!" I beamed planning in my head already the horrible ways in which I would make the Hyperion bastards suffer.

I got up to leave with Maya's gaze following me. She looked concerned, why? I just wanted to get revenge. I went downstairs where Axton, Gaige, and Zer0 were playing some game with cards I'd never seen.

Gaige jumped in triumph and shouted, "GO FISH BITCHES!" Axton threw down his cards and groaned before Zer0 swiped them up and shuffled them quickly.

Curiously I walked up to them and asked, "hey guys, what're you playing?"

Axton looked up from his cards, "oh, we're playing a game of Go Fish."

"Hm, never heard of it."

Axton beckoned to me to sit down. I took a seat and listened to Axton explained the rules of the game, well made changed slightly. When he finished I asked, "sounds fun, mind if I play?"

Gaige nodded, "of course you can play."

"I don't see why not." Axton replied.

And Zer0, "I guess you can."

I watched as the assassin dealt out the cards to each of us and I took mine so nobody would see. Gaige went first, she asked me, "alright Raven, you got a seven?"

I looked through my selection and passed her over the seven. Gaige smiled triumphantly and took the pair and laid them down. This time she targeted Axton and asked him, "you got a four?"

Axton looked then grumbled before handing her three cards from his deck.

Gaige targeted Zer0 and asked, "do you have a...two?" Zer0 looked an exclamation mark appearing over his helmet he handed the mechromancer two of his cards.

"No way!" Axton grumbled, "that is so not fair!"

"I guess I'm just lucky." Gaige smirked at him. She asked me for a three but to my relief I had none. "Nope go fish."

Gaige frowned then took a card from the pile. Next was Axton's turn, "okay, um Zer0 you got any fives?" The assassin shook his head then Axton took another card from the pile on the table.

It was my turn I smiled, "Axton, you got any fives?" Axton sighed then handed me his. "Zer0, you have any ones?" Zer0 shook his head. "Darn." I sighed before drawing a card.

Zer0 went next asking Gaige for a three, which she of course had and the game went on. In the end Gaige won, which Axton informed me was the fourth time today, though I'd come close to winning.

And apparently Gaige was the queen of Go Fish or something. She stood up knocking over her chair, "HAHAH! AND I WIN AGAIN! GO FISH!"

Axton looked gloomily at his Meagre pile of cards and Zer0 stood up before saying, "that was a good game, it is getting quite late now, I would like to sleep." And with that he left, though glancing at me. I uttered goodnight quietly which he acknowledged with a nod, then he was gone.

I yawned and agreed, "yeah, I'm pretty tired too after today. Goodnight."

Axton and Gaige said goodnight and also went up.

I crawled into my bed feeling great for the first time in a couple of weeks. I couldn't wait to raid the Hyperion base. I laid down and pulled the covers over me and fell asleep. But unfortunately my mind wasn't going to give me a break.

_I was standing in an unfamiliar place, a small town. It looked so familiar but I couldn't place a finger on where it was._

_I walked around, everything feeling familiar for some reason, noticing that everything was looking hazy and nobody that walked around noticed me. At one point I almost freaked when I bumped into someone, but they went through me without even a glance._

_I eventually walked along a cement road and past a bunch of very non Pandoran looking homes and stores along with otherworldly cars parked along the street, before I came to the edge of one particular home. I stopped at the open gate and studied the place, a tear forming in my eye._

_There was a happy shout from inside the house and a girl, who I knew she was only fifteen years old with short black hair and blue tattoos on her body ran out of the house after a little boy younger than her._

_Two adults, probably their parents came out behind them smiling in happily as they watched their children play._

_I watched them feeling overwhelming sadness and sudden realization. I had a brother, a family, and I wasn't from Pandora._

_Suddenly a rumbling sound distracted me and a huge shadow fell across the town. I saw several people looking up curiously and then the girl's parents rushing over to grab the little boy at his protests and pull the girl away._

_Then an explosion sounded behind me with panicked screams. I tried to turn but my eyes were glued to where the family stood frozen with fear. Explosion after explosion rent the air and there was gunfire going off all over and people screaming in pain as they slowly died and bled out._

_Then I watched helplessly as Hyperion bots marched through me and surrounded the terrified family guns raised threateningly. Then for the first time one of the family noticed I was there._

_"Raven, why are you standing there? How could you let us die?"_

_I shook my head, "I tried! I tried so hard to save you! I didn't mean to hurt you! Please forgive me, but I couldn't stop him from making me kill you!"_

_My mother shook her head, "no, I won't forgive you."_

_"Don't leave me mom...please don't go..."_

I woke up gasping to see Axton shaking me awake.

"What? What happened? Did I wake you?"

Axton shook his head, "I was coming up and I heard you crying out and I was concerned for you."

I wiped my eyes of the tears that formed there. Axton knelt down in concern, "Raven, why are you upset?" I squeezed my eyes shut tight before answering, "I killed them...I remembered, I killed my family..."

More tears streamed down my face, "Hyperion took us away from our home when I was fifteen and-" Axton hugged me comfortingly half surprising me and just cutting me off, and I cried silently into his shoulder for a while.

When I was beginning to recover from the shock of my dream, I leaned back and wiped my eyes exhausted from the stress. "Thank you Axton." I said, my voice cracking a bit.

Axton nodded looking a little bit off by what just happened then smiled and replied, "anytime you need me, I'll be there."

I laid back down and Axton pulled the covers over me before leaving the room quietly saying goodnight. After that I slept soundly again though not without feeling a little anxious.

I opened my eyes seeing light seeping in through my window. I sat up stretching and sat there for awhile, my eyes half closed, before hauling myself out of bed and going downstairs where the only one down there was Zer0.

I felt my gut lurch when I saw him and I had to breathe deeply before going the rest of the way down.

"Hey." I greeted him quietly.

"Good morning Raven."

I walked past him quickly, fighting the urge to run away, and went into the kitchen where I stopped to calm down. I was already upset by last night, and I certainly didn't need to be feeling whatever I was now.

Nervous? I guess I did, though it annoyed me that I felt nervous.

When I calmed down enough I went and made myself some breakfast. I hesitated in the doorway for a bit then felt relief as I heard the voices of Gaige and Axton in the lounge.

I walked in with my plate and sat down. "Good morning." I greeted the two.

Gaige blinked sleepily then yawned and Axton sat down on a chair beside me. "Hey Raven, you feeling better today?"

"yeah," I replied, "much better, though I'm still a little upset."

"Upset? What happened last night?" Gaige asked me concerned. I hesitated then answered quietly, "I just...had another memory." Axton grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly as I bowed my head sadly. I let him, it was comforting for me.

"Today though is the day that we get to kick some Hyperion assess and make them wish they'd never been born!" Gaige reminded me, trying to cheer me up.

I remembered that and grinned before saying, "he's gonna get it coming to him for what he made me do." I said thinking of my family.

Nobody at this point tried to ask who "he" was since Raven had no recollection of who "he" was at all.

I finished my breakfast quickly not wanting to talk about it anymore, then cleaned away my dishes. Coming back Axton met me and said, "oh Raven, Roland wanted to have a meeting."

I nodded then followed him up the stairs to the control room where Salvador, Maya, Gaige, Zer0, Mordecai, and Krieg were waiting.

"Come on in Raven, I've been waiting."

I nodded in greeting to Maya and Mordecai before listening intently on the discussion. "So as you know," Roland began, "I promised Raven she would get her revenge upon Hyperion today."

I leaned in excitedly.

"Mordecai suggested going to the Wildlife Preserve to find the person Raven was looking for. I'd like to know which of you would go with her while some of you go on an extra important mission?"

Axton stepped up, "I'll go with her."

I glanced at him gratefully.

Maya raised her hand, "I'll go. Besides, us sirens have gotta stick together."

Mordecai stepped up, "I'll go and provide sniper support. Plus I've been there before, and I need to get that clap trap upgrade from the preserve anyways."

Zer0 stepped forward. "You may need my help."

Roland nodded, "thank you, that should be enough. When you're ready to head to the preserve."

I didn't really want to wait, I had to do this, I needed to gain my memory back and this could be the key. Hopefully.

"I'm ready _now_." I said darkly and swung around not waiting and headed out of Raiders HQ, Axton, Maya, Mordecai, and Zer0 behind me. At Pierce Station I waited as Axton keyed in the coordinates to the Wildlife Preserve.

Soon we were there. As I went to follow Mordecai leading the way, a soft hand stopped me. I turned and saw Zer0 holding me back and felt my gut lurch again.

"Raven you are strong, but revenge can be bitter, be careful."

I pulled away, "I have to do this. If we find the person I'm looking for,_ I _will deal with him. Don't interfere."

"Yeah, and coming from the words of an assassin?" Maya smirked, "come on Zer0, this guy we're looking for obviously needs to die."

We killed a bunch of stalkers that had built their homes close by and when we finished dealing with them, we continued on to where a huge wall stood. I gazed at it for a while, almost marvelling at its size, then suddenly I remembered something.

_Gazing at this same wall as a teenager fear filling my mind clutching moms hand tightly fearful of being pulled away..._

I snapped out of it. This was definitely the place, I was here so long ago, when I was just a teenager.

I followed Mordecai silently and we came up to the first area where Hyperion had its base situated. Mordecai had to leave briefly to get the clap trap upgrade from his campsite and we were waiting silently and slightly nervous.

I peered around the rocks and saw those docks and a closed gate that led onto the docks then my mind began to wander...

_I watched in terror as the Hyperion soldiers dragged my family away from me, I clung desperately to my mothers hands but wasn't strong enough. "No don't take them away! Mom, what's going on?"_

_"Don't worry Raven." A man bent down his eyes full of fake sympathy, "I have very important plans for you and your family. You see, your special and you belong here in this place."_

_I heard the mocking tone in his voice, and straightened up angrily, tearing my gaze away from my desperate family, "don't talk to me like a child. I know what I am, and I know that your just an evil bastard. I've heard about you before and I demand my family and home back."_

_The man tutted, "Raven, don't be like that. You know if you cooperate with me, things will be much easier."_

_"You're lying." I growled my tattoos glowing black even though I hardly knew how to use my powers. The man shook his head and before I knew it there was a collar around my neck blocking my powers and making me weak._

_I tried to lash out with my fists angrily but the man just caught them and then I felt a pain in the back of my head, and I was out._

I snapped back to reality again when Axton tapped my shoulder. "Raven." He whispered, "are you okay? You seem sort of distant, and Mordecai is back now too."

I hesitated then said, "I know I was here, I'm beginning to remember everything. I just hope that the person I'm looking for is here..."

I trailed off as more rushed back to me. The pain I'd gone through, all the innocents I was forced to kill as part of my training, the punishments I endured and then I realized I knew the name of the person I was looking for.

I let out a small gasp, "I know who I'm looking for." I muttered, "I've remembered."

"Who?" Maya asked me.

"Handsome Jack."

Suddenly as I said his name, a bunch of Hyperion Robots, badass loaders, and engineers jumped down from behind the rocks and surrounded us before anything else could happen.

Shit.

We stood up alert and held our weapons ready. I waited for the badass loaders to do something, but they never did. Instead a hologram depicting the one person I hated the most appeared over the lens of a loader.

"Raven," Handsome Jack said with obvious mock happiness while clapping slowly, "I wondered when you would come back to us."

"You asshole," I growled rage engulfing me, "you forced me to kill all those innocents, you took me away from my home, and because of you, my family is dead."

"Now now Raven, I told you that it would make things easier if you cooperate with us. Now look at where you are. Because of you, your bandit friends will be dead."

I shook my head, "no. _I'm_ going to kill you. No matter how much you run, I will find you, and end you."

Suddenly a blue sword sliced the loaders lens in half and it fell to the ground sparking. The image of Jack was frozen for a second then disappeared This was the cue and the area burst into battle. This mission was going terribly wrong.

Zer0 leapt around nimbly, harming every badass loader he could while Maya and I fought back to back to fend the bots off. Axton threw out his turret and it fired off at the loaders, but more were being launched down from the moonbase.

I fired my smg at a gunloader that was charging me for a melee attack and shot its legs off, Zer0 then came through and swiftly finished it before moving on.

I watched the assassin momentarily distracted but then something bounced off my shield by my head. I whipped around surprised and saw a pwr loader right behind me about to swing its bladed hands again. With nothing else to do I used my powers and then shoved my hand through its lens and pulled its core out.

I smiled as I tossed it at a badass loader that had Axton pinned, and the loader was blown back giving Axton the opportunity to finish it off.

Mordecai was fighting with his pistol and slowly getting separated from us. I only noticed at the last moment seeing Bloodwing frantically trying to keep loaders and engineers away. I pulled the energy out of an exp loader and shot lighting bolts (basically) out of my hand at the loaders.

"Hold on Mordecai!" I shouted. When there was a clear path, Mordecai was able to regroup, and he nodded his thanks before diving into the fray once again, this time to assist Axton.

We needed to get out of this and I had only one idea that I could think of, but it could be potentially life threatening to my friends. "Does anyone have eridium!?" I shouted. No one did. I tried desperately to think of what to do when suddenly an engineer tried to tackled me to the ground.

I dodged to the side and used my powers and punched him in the gut so hard, that a piece of eridium flew out of his mouth along with a pile of blood. I snickered as he fell twitching and groaning to the ground.

Then I saw the bloody rock of eridium and sighed in relief, though not without wondering at that almost hilarious chance that I would get eridium at the exact moment I needed it from a guys stomach.

I blasted back another loader and picked up the rock. I clenched my hand and soaked up the powers in the rock getting a massive rush of energy, my tattoos glowing as the eridium absorbed into me.

Now that i was bursting with energy, I could end this fight and prevent it from going from bad to worse. I raised my voice above the noise and shouted to my companions, "when I open up a path, I want you all to move out and get far away!"

Without waiting for an acknowledgement I blasted a path clear with a bolt of electricity and the other vault hunters took off down the clear path. I waited hovering off the ground, then they were clear and I could do my part.

I drew in a breath and with that breath a mass of loaders fell to the ground drained. I was so powerful now, the ground and air glowing around me, siren wings out.

I felt almost dizzy at the amount of control I had, and I felt as though I was going to bust apart at any moment if I didn't expend the energy. Many of the engineers sensed what was about to happen and fired frantically, but I blocked their bullets easily.

I let the breath out and the air burst and bended into a huge raging inferno around me. The engineers saw this and tried to escape but only a few got away. The rest including the loaders were incinerated into nothing and the attack was over.

Lifeless corpses from loaders and engineers lay all over burnt from that inferno and blood soaked much of the ground.

I floated down to the ground slowly and fell to my knees panting hard. That had taken a lot out of me and I felt unsteady and dizzy after using so much energy.

Unfortunately, just as I was about to get up, a shout sounded. It was Mordecai, "Raven! Look out!" I saw an engineer that escaped running at me but I was too spent to stop him.

There was a screech and Bloodwing swooped down just in time and tore the mans face apart. I sighed relived as he dropped dead but then a jet loader appeared as Mordecai's bird was swooping upwards and pulled Bloodwing out of the air and tore her away screaming.

I blinked shocked by what happened and stared at the spot Bloodwing was just a moment before, the jet loader disappearing deeper into the preserve.

"Blood, no!" Mordecai shouted frantically.

Then Jack came up with a message in our echo devices, "ah you idiots, just because you destroyed my property, it doesn't mean you'll get away with it. But tell you what, if you turn in your little siren there, I'll give you back your stupid bird.

Take some time, think about it."

Then he was gone.

I pushed myself up and faced everyone else running up to me with me. I shook my head slowly trying to understand what happened. "I-I'm sorry Mordecai...this was my fault..."

Mordecai gazed at me before saying, "no, it's not your fault. Blood is strong she'll pull through, I know it, but now we can't get that clap trap upgrade because its on her collar."

"And don't worry Raven," Axton said clutching a bullet wound on his arm, "there is no way we're turning you into that bastard there."

I smiled in gratitude so glad that I seemed to finally have a family. And I wasn't going to let Bloodwing get hurt, she was a part of the family too and I didn't care who came with me, I was going to rescue her no matter what.

"Mordecai, I didn't intend for any of this to happen, and I'm going to make it up by rescuing Bloodwing from Hyperion alone or not."

**leave a favourite, follow, or review if you enjoyed it, it makes me more motivated to write, plus I feel all warm and fuzzy inside when reading the reviews! I also enjoy any suggestions about my writing too!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I realized while writing this, that I left out the part of the control core angel mission briefing, and my time periods are maybe a little off in previous chapters, but yeah...**

**so here it is, feedback is appreciated! know also like to know if you've enjoyed it through a review or a follow too!**

I crouched around the corner of the hallway waiting for the Hyperion soldier to turn his back.

Mordecai had retreated up to Cassa De Mordecai to keep an eye out over the entire Hyperion facility and give us cover too. Axton, Maya, and Zer0 had all stuck with me to get Bloodwing back.

Every once in a while, Jack would echo us but we ignored him mostly, except for Mordecai who was so worried about Bloodwing and angry at Jack, he would almost come close to freaking out.

I waited then raised my gun aiming for the mans head and pulled the trigger. I smiled pleased when his head exploded into nothing and the rest of his body fell burning on the ground.

I nodded at my companions and we got up and cautiously stepped around the corner. Nothing happened and I noticed the two vending machines with relief.

"Good shot Raven." Axton grinned at me.

Zer0 nodded in agreement, "a shower of blood, a wonderful sight to see, I have taught you well."

"Hey!" Axton complained, "I taught Raven how too! I was the one who showed her how to-to basically do everything with guns. You just helped her perfect her aim and stance and other minor things like that!"

Zer0 crossed his arms and made a :P face at Axton's claim. I giggled a little bit to see the two fighting, even though this was a serious situation, which made me feel a little guilty but I said, "You two are being idiots you know."

Axton's crossed his arms and walked away embarrassed, and Zer0 just made a smiley face before Maya interrupted us. "I know that you guys can't help but argue, but seriously, we need to focus on finding Bloodwing now!"

I nodded growing serious again and restocked on ammo before heading to deal with a bunch of stalkers that were held in another containment area.

I kicked aside a stalker body angrily and ran around the broken telescope thing, whatever it was and up the broken stone slope. Bloodwing was nearby, I could feel it, and Jack wasn't going to hurt her. Not one bit.

In my anger I failed to notice that several Hyperion loaders had been shot down from the moonbase and as I came up over the slope an exp loader suddenly appeared right in front of me.

I wheeled back in shock and saw that the robot was about to explode and it would catch me in it too, but then there was a shout and I was thrown to the ground a weight landing on top of me to shield me from the blast.

"Raven, are you okay? Damn it be careful!"

I blinked and pushed Zer0 away roughly, feeling embarrassed but I wasn't going to let that show. Plus I was sure that my face turned red right away.

"Jeez Zer0, I'm fine! You basically football tackled me and I would have been fine! I have a shield you know!"

Zer0 pushed himself up and looked away before saying, "I wanted to protect you." Then rushing into the fray to join Axton leaving me standing there dumbstruck.

Maya after the assassin surprised too. "Woah, he just said that without a proper haiku. He acted as if you would have died too... I didn't really expect that..."

I shrugged, "it doesn't matter, its probably nothing."

Something in my tone got to Maya, she also saw my face and grinned at me, "I see we have something to talk about after this is done."

I glared at her, "no we don't." Before turning and joining the battle.

Behind me though Maya just laughed shaking her head and ran after me to fight the loaders being launched from the moonbase.

I angrily shot a loaders arms off now having two reasons to be angry. "That'll show him I'm perfectly capable." I growled as I ripped the loaders AI core out. I whipped around and threw the core at a pwr loader trying to destroy Axton's turret.

I smiled smugly as the pwr loader blew up and I whipped around as a badass stalker tried to sneak up on me, though it didn't do a good job since it hissed as it was about to attack me and revealed itself.

I punched it in the head, momentarily stunning it, and I drained its energy laughing as it dropped lifeless to the ground. Now brimming with energy I directed it towards the super badass loader that was giving everyone else trouble and used phase shift to disable it and shut it down.

Axton and Zer0 stood there surprised, Zer0 surprised because of the exclamation mark over his helmet, and I smirked at them before continuing on. Maya laughed at the two men's surprise and followed me nudging Zer0 in the side with her elbow.

I walked into the hallway ahead, seeing with disgust the poor creatures kept behind containment fields. I shuddered at wondering how those animals could have suffered, and I knew that we were close to Bloodwing now.

I stopped and watched a skag laying in its containment area, or prison more like, remembering that similar caged feeling. I clenched my fists more memories coming around to me. I felt a lump in my throat and struggled to swallow it down.

"Raven?" Maya grasped my shoulder, tearing my gaze away from the skag. "Raven, are you okay?"

I breathed in deeply before answering, "I-I'm fine, I just need to get this over with and get out of here. I feel really out of sorts with all my memories coming back..."

Maya nodded then reloaded her gun. "Alright, let's kick some Hyperion butt and rescue Bloodwing." I braced my self then waited as Maya opened the door to Bloodwing's containment area.

When the door opened, there was nothing there except a shaft of light over a tree at the end of the walkway, and a pile of bloody feathers.

"Oh no..." I breathed and ran down the path to the tree, Maya calling after me. I stopped at the feathers. "We're too late..." I knelt down and picked up one of the feathers and stared at it, not noticing the conversation in the echos.

"Raven..." Maya cut into my thoughts, "if we hurry, we can save Bloodwing, Mordecai said he saw something going on in the Observation Wing."

I put the feather into a pocket and nodded. I followed the other vault hunters out of the room while holding Bloodwing's feather tight in my hand and my gun in the other.

When we came out, Jack came back on the echos. I felt more anger growing inside of me as alarms went off and all the containment fields went down around the creatures.

Now we had to deal with stalkers, and skags. I didn't really feel like the poor creatures deserved to die riddled full of bullets. Hell no. I was going to do this the most humane way possible.

"Everyone get back," I warned without turning around, my tattoos glowing, I'll deal with these creatures."

I waited till the stalkers and skags had grouped together and I held out my hand and felt their power transferring from them to me. I braced myself and felt a massive amount of power pool into me, and at the same time the creatures all slowed and dropped dead.

Now I had all this energy but no where to fuel it into. It almost made me panic because containing so much energy for too long was usually a bad idea I had discovered long ago though I wasn't sure why, if I did contain it for too long bad things happened to other people and things nearby.

I gasped and shot a lightning bolt at the ground in front of me using up the energy. Unfortunately because I panicked the blast was too close and threw me back and I landed on my butt stunned.

"Raven, damn it! are you okay?" I nodded and stood up waving Axton away from me, "I'm fine, I just needed to expend that energy I collected."

"Raven be careful, don't end up hurting yourself, because you feel pity." Zer0 warned, though in his voice was a hint of agitation.

"Well jeez, I didn't want these poor creatures to suffer even more than they already have!" I retorted. "Now lets go!"

I ran on ahead leaving everyone else to catch up to me and down a hallway into another area with stalkers. We killed them off easily and moved on, getting more and more worried about Bloodwing.

After fighting our way through seemingly endless amounts of creatures and Hyperion troops and listening to Jack threatening us over the echos, we were finally at the elevator to go down into the observation wing.

I took the opportunity the room offered us to collect ammo and whatever else from the ammo crates and took a last breather to steel myself, wondering whether Handsome Jack would be there or not. But knowing about him, he was a coward and would use everything he could to do his dirty work for him, meaning he likely wouldn't be there.

I pressed the elevator button and it went down. The sight that greeted us was nothing, nothing really at all. "Where is she?" I muttered staring at the huge mechanical door in the ground with dread, wondering what horror would come out of the doors.

I walked closer and Jack's voice once again came through, "Shut the hell up you piece of crap!" Axton yelled into his device, but Jack paid no mind.

"Want Bloodwing back huh? Shame, I've been doing some really interesting eridium experiments with her. Hate to see her go, but heck with it."

"You didn't..." I muttered as the doors opened up and out came Bloodwing, but huge, and really pissed off looking.

Jack laughed, "she's all yours."

Bloodwing screeched and took of into the air with a huge blast from her wings leaving Maya, Axton, and I open mouthed and shocked. Zer0 was probably as equally shocked but he just had an exclamation mark over his visor.

Mordecai broke into my thoughts sounding really distressed, "oh my god..."

"Give it up kiddo. Bloodwing has all the elements at her disposal, fire! electricity! corrosion! slag! And...and, uh, damn. I forgot what the last one was. What the hell was that one?"

There was no way I was giving that up. No way.

Goddamnit! Just weaken her and I'll hit her with a tranq!" Mordecai yelled.

Roland came up having observed what happened from Sanctuary, "good god-I'm sorry soldier, but you gotta beat her down. just do what you can to save her, but if you can't...she's got what you need to get into the control core angel and grab the vault key, that's all that matters here."

I took aim at Bloodwing wishing we could do this without hurting her and watched as she flew around positioning herself to attack. I saw her coming and fired off my gun then I rolled out of the way of her talons.

Axton had deployed his turret and Zer0 was using his sniper rifle to hit weak points on the bird. Maya had noticed that Bloodwing was too big for her phase lock and could only use it to damage the bird. Still, it was better than nothing.

In a couple of minutes, Jack laughed condescendingly, "FIRE!"

Bloodwing had landed on the pad and now she was imbued with-well she was basically a flying flame. Bloodwing took off again and then just when I thought things couldn't be worse, skags came out of the doors in the building sides.

"Oh crap! Some one deal with the skags!" Axton shouted from by his turret. I nodded realizing that I wouldn't be of much use if I continued to fight Bloodwing since I wasn't as experienced with combat that required more gun use and less up close combat.

I killed a skag trying to attack Axton and moved on to another, eventually drawing their attention to me. It was great the skags were coming non stop because I could get a constant energy boost if I needed it at any time.

I ducked and doged beneath Bloodwing who was trying to hit me with fireballs, but Maya stopped the bird with a phase lock. I then resumed keeping up with attacking skags.

Soon there were no more and Bloodwing landed and was imbued with electricity damage. Now it was worse to try and not getting hit by electric balls but the skags were gone at least.

Handsome Jack came back onto the echoes, "electricity...electricity, slag, fire, corrosion's coming up next...what am I forgetting?"

I snorted, what an asshole. I knew full well what the last one was, and I was dreading it fully. "Raven! Watch out for her claws!" I looked up and saw Bloodwing had descended.

I tried to dive out of the way, but the tip of a claw caught my shoulder breaking my shield and tearing deep into my flesh. I gasped in pain and grasped the large slice that was now bleeding. "Raven, are you okay?" Axton came up and pulled my hand away.

I yanked away, "I'm fine, just keep fighting Bloodwing!"

Axton ducked under an electric ball then fired his gun causing Bloodwing to flinch and shriek in pain. I could tell she was weakening by the way she kept her distance more often, and even how she reacted to the pain from bullets.

Bloodwing landed on the platform again and was imbued with corrosion This was the worst because of, well corrosion.

With every shot I fired, I felt more and more horrible for Mordecai who was frantically trying to plead to Bloodwing unsuccessfully.

Finally we wore the Mordecai's bird down enough. "I'm loading the tranq dart! Tranquila, Blood, this won't hurt, I promise!"

I sighed in defeat, knowing that it was going to be hopeless. Bloodwing was just too far gone.

Bloodwing shrieked and flapped a while trying to stay up but gave in and landed with a crash on the ground. "Alright now grab the chip on the collar and we'll get Bloodwing back to Sanctuary." Mordecai said desperately.

I watched Maya go over and remove the chip then stored it away. She came over along with an exhausted looking Axton and Zer0 who had gotten a large shallow looking slice across his ribs from a skag.

I was about to ask what we should do when my thoughts where interrupted. "Now I remember, EXPLOSIIIVE!" Jack yelled into the echos

I stared in horror as Bloodwing's collar blew up and killed her right before my eyes. "NO!" Mordecai screamed, and I stared at where Bloodwing's head was, tears leaking into my eyes.

Maya and Axton were similarity shocked and stared with their mouths gaping. Zer0 stood there too appearing just as shocked. His hand squeezing the hilt of his katana.

Jack had killed her. Although somewhere in the back of my mind, I was expecting that to happen.


	8. Chapter 8

I looked away from the bloody sight everything else fading out except for shock and grief. A hand grabbed mine and pulled me away towards the now open doors I hadn't seen before.

I followed the vault hunters back my shoulder wound stinging and still bleeding just as heavily, staining my shirt.

I stared absently quite oblivious to my surroundings, just focusing upon my friends in front of me. Even Jack on the echoes I didn't notice, except for something about his violin and sarcastically playing it.

We were at the fast travel station, and I began to wonder wether or not I was getting dizzy from my wound or from grief. I didn't want to say anything even though it was still bleeding heavily and running down my shirt.

I was jolted back into reality when someone pulled my hand away from the wound. I looked to see Zer0 with an exclamation mark over his helmet.

"Raven what happened? You need your shoulder fixed up, now."

I shook my head, my stomach tying into knots of all things. "I'm fine Zer0, its only a scratch." I tried to sound annoyed or like it didn't hurt, but my voice shook, and the blood running down my shirt wasn't making it believable at all.

"Don't argue, sit down now." Zer0 ordered bluntly.

I looked at his ribs, "yeah, and your wound looks pretty horrible too."

Maya sighed, "look Raven, you can't be stubborn about this, we don't want you fainting from blood loss halfway back."

I sighed and sat down on a rock grief still creating a lump in my throat. I watched as Zer0 cleaned away the blood revealing a huge slice underneath pretty close to the wounds I had received before I escaped to Sanctuary, but they had only ever been healed through eridium injections.

I didn't even flinch when Zer0 gently as possible, injected a healing hypo into the wound. I watched it heal up miraculously fast, though not as fast as eridium, but still, it never failed to intrigue me.

I got up less dizzy than before now. "Are you better?" Zer0 asked me. I nodded blankly. "Are you sure?" I nodded again, "I'm still upset over Bloodwing."

Zer0 grabbed my arm, which I didn't really care about I was so shocked and pulled me over to the fast travel station. In Sanctuary, I went to follow everyone else to share the bad news with Salvador, Krieg, and Gaige when Zer0 stopped me.

Axton glared at Zer0 briefly before Maya pulled him away with an angry retort. I looked into Zer0's mask dully, "what?"

"Raven, you should stay back."

I pulled away from the assassin, "why? Can't I come with you guys?"

"No, your grief could get in the way, of you fighting."

I snorted, "well I'm not that sad that I can't hold a gun."

"Anger can lead to, horrible mistakes Raven, believe me."

I sighed, "fine then, if it makes you happy, I'll stay back for the next mission. But If something goes wrong, you know I'm going to come after you guys."

I trudged back to Raiders HQ with Zer0 striding ahead. I felt a little disappointed that he wouldn't walk with me.

I actually wanted to go talk to Mordecai. My chest swelled with pity for the hunter. Jack was going to pay, not just what he did to me, but also now for killing Bloodwing.

Inside I saw the vault hunters gathered in the lounge discussing what happened to Bloodwing, I walked past them noticing the same grief and rage on Gaige's face that I felt.

Mordecai was standing by the door to the balcony in the control room drinking bottle after bottle of rakk ale. I sighed and noticed what Mordecai was listening to.

"Hey remember that time We were fighting some bandits and Mordecai got wounded in the shoulder?" That was Lilith.

Roland smiled, "heh yeah."

"And Mordecai threw Bloodwing out and she was just flying in circles and Mordecai was yelling, what are you doing you stupid bird! Go and get them! And Mordecai stuck his head out and-"

Roland finished for Lilith, "and Bloodwing swooped down and killed all those bandits, yeah I remember. Bloodwing wanted Mordecai to see what she did, wanted to make him proud."

Lilith chuckled, "and Mordecai was happy as slag is skag kissing her beak and scratching her neck."

"Yeah which would have been cute if Bloodwing hadn't been covered in entrails."

Mordecai turned around finally, "arrgh, stop it already!"

Mordecai stormed past me and flopped onto the couch I followed him and sat down on the arm of it nearby him. "Mordecai, I won't ask you if your okay, because you aren't," Mordecai was still drowning himself in alcohol, "I'm sorry about Bloodwing. I know what it's like to lose those you love dearly, and if there is anything I can do, I'll help you."

Mordecai set his bottle down upon hearing my voice and was silent before retorting venomously, "yeah, and what would you know about that sort of pain?"

"I killed my own family, I was forced by Hyperion after they took me from my home and burned my home town on Promethea to cinders, just for the sake of finding me." I felt tears spilling down my face again.

"Mordecai, whatever you so drinking won't relive the pain of Bloodwing's death, nothing will, but please don't do this." I pleaded.

Mordecai downed the last of his ale, tears were running down from his goggles too. "Hyperion took so much from me, they're the reason for me being on this goddamned planet. If you weren't here Raven, things would be so much worse for me. Thank you for trying to save Bloodwing...I need to be alone now."

I watched him go out on the balcony and leap up onto the roof not realizing what Mordecai actually meant by if you weren't here things would be worse.

I could feel exhaustion crawling into my muscles and the wound on my shoulder wasn't completely closed up and still stung a little bit. I went into my room and shut the door locking it, before laying down in the bed and falling right away into an uneasy and dream filled sleep.

**here is this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it, reviews are appreciated! And if you really liked it leave a follow or favourite!**


	9. Chapter 9

**hey readers! So I've got chapter 9 up took way less time, and I've pretty much got the story line back on track! I added this part in for relief to the main story line I just sort of wrote it.**

**so enjoy! Oh and if anyone is willing to, I need some help in naming each of my chapters, if anyone wants to throw out some suggestions then you can!**

**and that's all now...**

Next morning, or more like afternoon, I came out of my room surprised how long I slept. I went downstairs noticing how silent it was and seeing only Tannis was in the lounge writing furiously in a notebook.

"Hey Tannis?"

The scientist didn't look up until she finished writing the rest of the page leaving me tapping my foot impatiently. The"To what do I owe any amount of my precious time?"

"Uh, I was wondering where everyone is."

"Well I do believe that your friends went to Thousand Cuts to do whatever irrelevant thing they were planning to get the vault key. Roland, Lilith, and Mordecai are staying behind."

I nodded unsurprised that everyone left without me.

"Oh and I do believe Mordecai needed a job or two done. Now if there is nothing else you need, you can leave and stop wasting my time."

I turned to go upstairs not very hungry today and decided to see what was going on in the control room.

"Hey guys." I greeted the three vault hunters behind still. Roland looked up with Lilith from the screen they were looking at. "Hey Raven, how're you feeling today?"

"Well enough. So how is everyone doing in Thousand Cuts?"

"They seem to be doing pretty well. Too bad Brick had returned to Thousand Cuts last week...we could've used his help."

I chuckled watching my friends kill Slabs on the surveillance screen, "and by the looks of it, his bandits are pretty stupid to be attacking everbody else."

Lilith snorted, "that they are."

"So why is Brick leading a bunch of bandits anyways? I thought he was with us. I never really found out and I never talked much with him, but why?"

Roland was silent staring at the monitor showing the vault hunters progress then addressed me, "back before the rest of your friends came to this planet and we were still fighting Jack, Brick and I had a bit of a disagreement..." Roland sort of stopped and didn't finish.

"Disagreement meaning, Brick was a little too brutal on a Hyperion soldier and Roland kicked him out of Sanctuary." Lilith finished telling me all I needed to know basically.

I nodded, "that's...interesting-I guess that explains it, thanks."

"No problem killer"

I began to walk out, curiosity satisfied, "well, if the others need help desperately, please let me know. I don't care if Zer0 wanted me out of the fighting. If they need help, I'm going no matter what."

I went to find Mordecai without a second glance hearing Lilith chuckling quietly and almost inaudibly, but something about me having such spontaneous moods or whatever, I didn't really mind much though.

I looked down the hallway and found Mordecai's room door closed. I thought he might be there and knocked, but there was no answer. "Mordecai? Are you there? It's Raven."

Nothing.

I carefully opened it knowing that he was there. It was dark in the room, I turned on the light and found Mordecai laying on his bed with his back turned to the door.

The hunter looked briefly, then turned away with a muffled grunt.

"Mordecai? How are you feeling?"

"Horrible." he mumbled.

I went in and sat on a chair, "Tannis said that you wanted a job done. Do you want anything done?"

Mordecai nodded, "I would have wanted one of you to go into the Wildlife Preserve, save some creatures there, but I don't really know if I want you to go back there."

I sighed, "is it because of my memories yesterday?"

"No. Zer0 asked me specifically to not let you go on any sort of missions."

I felt annoyed at that, "just because I'm angry, doesn't mean I'll die! Besides if I die, I'll just respawn and I have plenty of money!"

"Sorry Raven, I won't let you go anywhere."

I huffed, "can I do something to at least make you better in some way?"

"Can we go somewhere?"

I nodded, "Yeah sure wherever you want to go."

I breathed in the cold, more fresh than most places, air of The Highlands. Mordecai was beside me from the fast travel station in Overlook and now we were trying to decide what to do.

"Wanna just drive around? Kill some things, run em over?" Mordecai finally decided. I shrugged, why not? Not as if we could get around killing things if we were going to drive around. I sat in the turret of the digistructed runner relaxing as the wind blew in my face and blew my hair behind me.

To be truthful, the best place and my most favourite place on Pandora was The Highlands. Despite the infestation of Stalkers, Threshers, and Hyperion, there were no bandits at all which made it nice to know that oh wont be killed by a buzz saw flying at you out of nowhere, though threshers weren't much better.

I braced myself as Mordecai headed for a stalker and I gripped the rail as he ran over it, killing the creature instantly. I heard Mordecai chuckle under his breath and he swerved to another that was unfortunate enough to be in his path.

Eventually Mordecai was angrily swerving into every living thing possible, raging unintelligibly probably about Bloodwing. I didn't know what to think, part of me felt much of that same rage, and part of me felt fear.

Which would be pretty obvious since Mordecai was driving around ridiculously and stupidly.

Soon there was nothing left to kill and Mordecai was just driving out of control swerving this way and that. I held on in the turret seat frightened thinking of what could happen if Mordecai did something really stupid.

Finally Mordecai drove off a ledge and sent the car spinning in the air. I had decided enough was enough. I gathered myself and felt my tattoos glowing then the car just slowed down and died.

I sighed relieved I stopped the vehicle in time.

I jumped down and Mordecai was out of the runner, angrily kicking it.

"Mordecai..."

The hunter ignored me.

"Mordecai, please stop."

No response.

"MORDECAI!"

Mordecai jumped at my sudden ferocity, made more threatening with my glowing eyes and tattoos. I calmed down when I was sure I had his attention and said pleadingly, "Mordecai, please don't do this to yourself."

Mordecai glared at the ground avoiding my gaze angrily, "I've lost the most important thing I had to that-asshole. Bloodwing and I went through so much together, and now he tore it all away...I don't know what to do, I-I feel lost without my bird..."

I nodded remembering that empty feeling in your life, like a piece of you was missing-a piece that was irreplaceable.

"I felt the same when I killed my family...I sat in my-my prison with the most pain and guilt that I've ever felt. I wanted to kill myself, I felt I couldn't do anything, eat, sleep, drink..."

I sat down and leaned against the runner, knees pulled tight and arms wrapped around them.

"I felt like I was torn apart inside every day, I was so horrified by what I did to my family, my brother..."

Mordecai was sitting against the vehicle trying to maintain his composure but broke down and cried for a long time. I sat there with him close, but not too close as his skinny shoulders shook with loss.

Suddenly I was distracted by my echo, I picked it up and listened to who it was. "Hey Raven, we're back in Sanctuary now. Where the heck are you and Mordecai?" It was Axton sounding worried.

"Hey Axton. We're fine, don't worry. We just went for a drive in the Highlands that's all. If you need us back, we'll come."

There was silence for a bit, "um drive? Was it just a drive?"

"Yeah, of course! Nothing else, Mordecai was just upset about Bloodwing and needed some fresh air."

"oh okay then...yeah... We need you in sanctuary now, so get back here as soon as possible!" Axton finished then hung up.

"Mordecai? You ready to go back?"

The hunter nodded bleakly, "yeah, and thanks for coming Raven...I really appreciated it-you offering to come out with me."

I stood up, and hopped into the runner, "why don't we head back now then?"

Mordecai smiled and sniffed before joining me and heading back to Overlook.


	10. Chapter 10

**Aaaand this is a short chapter, plus its a little bit silly too because the last few were a little bit depressing.**

**leave a review favourite or follow if you enjoyed it! A little feedback on my book always helps me to write better!**

**"**Now we just need that voice modulator from Jacks double and we can get to the vault key. " Roland was saying. I listened to the mission briefing intently, happy that I was going this time.

When I got back with Mordecai, Zer0 was all concerned and angry that I went out at all and blah blah blah, while Axton would cast covert glares at Mordecai but I didn't really care anyways.

Gaige had noticed how Zer0 reacted towards Mordecai and me and when he left Gaige wouldn't stop grinning at me making me groan silently, plus Axton glaring at Mordecai hadn't escaped the mechromancer's attention either.

"Okay, so can we go now?" I asked eagerly when Roland was done. Maya shrugged, "I don't see why not, I feel ready for another mission today."

"Yeah let's do this amigos!"

"A fine day indeed, to go out and kill some things, and soak the ground red."

"Geez mister poet man, a bit graphic there?"

"It is haiku Gaige, I have said worse things before, and not poetry."

"Pfft! whayever you say, it's still poetry. And, it's not even proper speaking."

"It is a form of, art you are incapable, of Gaige."

"Hah! You didn't even say that with the correct amount of syllables!"

"No, your lying.."

"Um no, that went five, seven, two."

"Prove it."

"You said, 'it is a form of, art you are incapable, of Gaige.' That is totally five, seven, two!"

"A slight misjudgement, a minor error by me, it doesn't matter."

At this point Salvador had enough,

"SHUT UP ALREADY AND LETS GO KILL SOME PENDEJOS!"

I stood there chuckling at Gaige and Zer0, those two never seemed to stop arguing and Gaige could always find a way to push Zer0's buttons and create a funny pointless argument.

Maya and I exchanged glances, the other siren laughing too, as Salvador ran on ahead and leaped over the balcony of the control room.

"Hey wait up big guy!" Axton yelled good naturedly then jumped after him stumbling and just about falling as he landed.

Gaige grinned at Zer0 and punched him in the shoulder before racing off. I decided that I might as well go too. "Race you to the fast travel station." I said to Maya and Zer0. Krieg had left already racing after Salvador earlier.

Zer0 shrugged, "your funeral."

I shoved him, "not quite five syllables."

":P"

I looked and saw Maya had just jumped off the balcony, "while you two idiots were arguing, I thought I'd go ahead, see you there!"

"Hey!" I yelled, then ran ahead with Zer0 just behind me. I hit the ground and rolled then watched Zer0 descending smiling evilly. Halfway down, I phase locked the assassin in the air.

"Hey not fair!" The assassin grumbled.

I widened my eyes and said as innocently as possible, "you never said I couldn't use my siren powers."

":P"

I stood there laughing then suddenly dropped the assassin and he hit the ground landing on his back. I was about to turn and run, but then the assassin didn't move.

I bit my lip nervously wondering if I'd hurt him at all. I approached Zer0 quickly. "Zer0! Are you okay? Oh shit, did I hurt you?"

suddenly he disappeared and I found myself lying on my back very confused at what had just happened. The assassin was standing over me with an "LOL" over his visor.

I sat up blushing and trying not to look at him but I faked anger, "Hey! You can't disappear like that! It's not fair!"

"and now I have a head start."

The assassin ran off and I jumped up going into a phase walk allowing me to move faster and I caught up to him, I exited it and waved at the surprised assassin before saying, " hah! Now you'll never beat me!"

I went back into the phase walk and then I was ahead I laughed and exited it at Pierce Station then I stopped when I saw Zer0 standing at the fast travel station beside Axton. I crossed my arms grumbling as Maya and everyone else laughed.

"What? stop laughing! He used his deception and tricked me!"

"You phase locked me."

I stuck out my tongue at him playfully before joining the rest of the group at the fast travel. It took seconds before we stood in the town of Overlook in the highlands. I breathed in deeply, growing serious, calming down and preparing for Opportunity.

We digistructed a couple of technicals and we were set out to the bridge leading into opportunity. I sat in the turret of a technical watching the land go by just trying to keep calm and focused on the important mission, though nothing more. Except for shooting the occasional Stalker or Thresher.

now was the final part in getting to the vault key, (sort of), and for me to meet Angel. The siren under Jack's control, the siren that was so curious to me.


	11. Chapter 11

**And chapter eleven! The more I think about it, the more I realize how much my time transitions and whatnot are off. But oh well this is fan fiction, and my story makes enough sense, so enjoy!**

**anyone got any ideas for chapter names?**

We stood in opportunity now, staring at the large glass buildings and the clean roads. It was almost beautiful, but made horrible by Handsome Jacks control. I glanced at Zer0 glad that he was there with us, though something in my eyes must have shown through to my friends when I glanced at the assassin. "Raven, are you okay? You look a little distracted." Gaige broke into my thoughts.

I looked at the mechromancer grinning at me and I realized what she was hinting at. "Um no, I'm fine. Absolutely fine. What made you think I'm not okay?" I said beginning to blush.

Gaige rolled her eyes, "oh you're hopeless."

"No, I think that Raven has somebody on her mind." Axton grinned at me making me blush harder.

"N-no! I'm not thinking of anyone!"

"So is that why you were staring at Zer0's backside chica?" Salvador grinned widely.

"I wasn't staring!" I shouted flustered as Zer0 turned around and was probably glaring at Salvador since his arms were crossed uncomfortably.

"Come on guys." Maya beckoned striding ahead, "we still have half the day, and I don't want to be here all night." I followed Maya wanting to escape the conversation and also grateful that the siren saved me from never ending teasing.

We fell into silence quickly since we were in an enemy city, and there were a lot of loaders nearby too.

Maya nodded at Krieg who charged in amongst the loaders shouting and laughing evilly. I followed the other vault hunters shooting Hyperion troops left and right. We pressed on deeper in the city looking for the area that held Jack's double and soon found it, after much of a struggle with dealing with loaders a few constructors and engineers.

We watched the double of Jack walking around, guarded by some combat engineers, which was no problem for us. Maya was about to get Zer0 to go out and assassinate the double silently when Angel came on. "This is Jacks double."

"Well no shit Sherlock." Axton muttered.

"Jack uses his double as a public figure so he doesn't have to deal with the public. If you get that voice modulator, we can then use it to get into my chambers where I'm held."

Maya nodded when Angel was gone and Zer0 jumped silently up onto a walkway going invisible. There was silence, then two choked cries sounded and an engineer slumped over the railway, his throat neatly slit open.

Then the guards around the double dropped dead one after the other with bullet holes in their heads putting the double on instant alert. I snickered quietly thinking of how he would have no chance at all to retaliate before he died. I heard a thud as Zer0 hit the ground and revealed himself. The double let out a grunt and then he stood with a sword impaled through his heart. He then dropped to the ground sparking.

I ran down with my companions and Zer0 bent down and took the voice modulator that dropped from the double. "What do we do with it now?" I asked. Before anyone could say anything Angel answered that for me, "now that you have the modulator, you need to get some samples of Jack's voice, and I can get it prepared. Go around to some kiosks and get some recordings for me."

"Oh great," Axton groaned, "now we get to listen to Jack bragging about him being a hero."

"Tell me about it." Gaige rolled her eyes.

We went to the first kiosk and played it listening to Jack with annoyance. "Good." Angel said when the recording finished, "get more voice samples like that." We proceeded to the rest of the info kiosks around the city listening to them with annoyance at Jack. I sighed in relief as the last one was found and Angel sent us to the place she would be able to prepare the modulator.

Maya plugged in the modulator to the computer and I waited for any loaders to attack at Angels warning. I shot a gun loader taking an arm off happy that my aim was improving. Several more came around and Salvador and Krieg tore into them with thier fists laughing madly. I chuckled a bit knowing that it was taken care of, except saving the two from the occasional loader or engineer.

Angel was fast and finished the modulator. Axton picked it up and said, "so, who wants to be Jack?"

No answer, even Kreig didn't say a word.

"Um...somebody does have to..."

"I don't want to sound like that asshole." Gaige made a face with her statement.

"No way I'm sounding like a guy!" Maya shook her head. I agreed completely with her.

"Okay let's play the nose game. Last person has to take the modulator."Axton finally came up with a plan.

I shook my head, "um how about no."

"Why not? I see nothing wrong with that." Salvador said.

"Because that's ridiculous and unfair!" I waved my arms exasperated, "it has to be one of you guys, not any of us girls..."

I trailed off as everyone was staring at me with thier fingers touching thier noses, "I guess it'll be you chica." Salvador grinned at me. I sighed and stared at the modulator in Axton's hand. "Aw please...?"

"Nope, now you gotta take it." Axton said holding back laughter.

I made a face then took the modulator reluctantly. I turned it on and equipped it. "Is this thing work-aw crap..." I stopped when my regular voice changed and sounded like Jack's voice. I slapped my forehead when Salvador started laughing loudly, "AHAHAH! Say something again amigo!" I glared at him with my mouth sealed shut and shook my head.

Maya giggled, "you look pretty angry."

I almost blurted out, no shit sherlock! But didn't since I didn't want to be laughed at.

"Aw come on Raven, say something! If you don't we won't stop laughing." Gaige said grinning evilly.

I shook my head.

Axton was trying not to laugh his butt off by the look on his face, and Zer0 was watching me obviously waiting for me to say something while Kreig, was well, being-Kreig.

I fixed everyone with a solid glare trying not to blurt anything out and walked off back the way we came, our job here done. "Aw Raven, why're you walking away?" I ignored them trying to not say anything. The others followed me pestering me to say something, just one word all the way to the fast travel station.

I waited then keyed in the coordinates for Sanctuary angrily. Back in Sanctuary I marched to HQ, also feeling a little bit of laughter coming on, but I tried to ignore that not wanting to fuel the others anymore. Lilith and Roland looked up at our arrival and waited until everyone was inside the control room. "So the mission went smooth I hope?" Lilith asked us.

I waited for someone to answer but no one would, Axton, Salvador, Maya, Gaige, and Zer0, excluding Krieg who was staring off into space muttering about liver, were all watching me expectantly with badly concealed grins on thier faces. I realized that they wanted me to talk. I shook my head vigorously at them with a glare.

Lilith had been obviously kept waiting long enough, "are one of you going to say something or are you all going to stand there grinning like idiots?" The siren snapped. I pointed to my throat and shook my head hoping to get the message across to Lilith and Roland. Roland realized to my relief and chuckled before saying, "I think that's Raven's way of saying that the mission was a success."

Lilith smiled suddenly, "oh, you must have the modulator then."

I nodded.

"Great, so now the next stage of our plan is to get into the Control Core Angel, and get the vault key from Angel." Roland began.

"I still don't see why I can't go." Lilith muttered angrily getting a glare from Roland.

"Brick has agreed to give us air support through his slabs, and we can get up to The Bunker, a bunker with enough ammunition to destroy a planet." (Was that correct?) Roland continued mostly ignoring Lilith's glares directed at him.

"Hey," a voice made me turn to see a drunk Mordecai, (no surprise there) push his way past Axton and Gaige at the door way. "Do I get to go there too?" Roland shook his head, "no Mordecai, I need you here at Sanctuary with Brick and Lilith."

"Then when do I get revenge on Jack for Bloodwing?"

"There'll be plenty of time later after we get the key. Right now, the main priority is to get the key from Angel."

Mordecai crossed his arms angrily grumbling about Roland. I forgot about my voice in that moment and without thinking, well I was thinking but not about my awkwardness with the modulator, I blurted out, "I know how you feel Mordecai, but you'll be able to go next time we make an attack." I clamped my mouth shut then as Mordecai snapped his head up and Salvador but out laughing obnoxiously.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" I yelled.

This earned me getting laughed at by everyone, even Krieg.

I sighed, "you now what, screw it, I'm not not going to bother anymore. BUT, this will not reach any other ears. Am I clear?"

Maya giggled before saying, "oh yeah, nobody else will know."

Lilith recovered first from laughing then said, "okay you guys should rest for tommorow, you have a big day ahead of you."


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is where things get more into the romance part of the story, plus you find more about Raven's past.**

I left first as soon as Lilith finished seething with embarrassment, and left the building slamming the door behind me. The truth was, it was sort of funny, Maybe I was taking things too seriously, but I was angry at Axton for his stupid nose game idea. I decided to go and just hide somewhere, up on a roof, out of sight of the citizens of Sanctuary and my friends too.

I disapeared with a phase walk knowing it would be easier and my friends wouldn't find me and found a rooftop on the edge of Sanctuary where I could watch the view of the Higlands far below me and not see the moonbase that was a constant reminder of Hyperion, and of Jack.

I guess disappearing though didn't work too well, or I was possibly horrible at hiding, because when the sun was going down and I was drifting off to sleep a crumbling piece of the roof startled me awake and a shadow slipped down beside me.

"What do you want Zer0. Are you here to make fun of me?" I asked without looking his way.

The assassin said nothing, he just sat down beside me and stared out across the Highlands below us.

After what could have been years in which I was waiting impatiently for him to say something, and wondering if i was just dreaming and I fell asleep actually, The assassin finally spoke quietly, "prehaps I should have taken the modulator instead. But it isn't that, is it?"

I gave him a look of surprise when Zer0 didn't use haiku, and he guessed that I was still upset over the loss of Bloodwing.

"I guess it was pretty obvious that I was upset." I murmured not meeting his gaze through his mask, and feeling that familiar rush of nerves in my stomach at his presence.

I waited for a response fighting the urge to fiddle nervously with my hands and feeling sweaty palms. I finally asked, "honestly, what do you want from me?"

"I-I was wondering if-" the assassin stopped he was fidgeting obviously nervous.

"What?"

"If you would...go for supper with me." The assassin finally forced out.

My mouth went sort of dry then. I knew what Zer0 was asking and I didn't really think that he would like me at all or care. This was surprising and my brain blocked on me and I was sure that anything I said would be reduced to me being a bumbling stuttering idiot made more hilarious by the fact that I had this stupid modulator on me.

"I-I..." I then said stupidly, "but the modulator is...um...I sound like-uhh yes?"

Zer0 was laughing at me all of a sudden and added with what I felt a grin radiating under his mask at me, "so is that a yes?"

"But what about the-the modulator, and I sound like an idiot, and I'm sorryI'mbeinganidiotbutyes!AndIreallylikeyou!Icant gooutinpubliclikethis-"

Zer0 stopped me gently with his hand over my mouth. I laughed nervously and grinned my stomach tying into knots. "Don't worry, I know how to fix that."

Zer0 pressed a series of buttons on the modulator and my voice shifted digitally and I sighed as I sounded like myself again. "There, it'll deactivated for a few hours."

I stared at Zer0 not sure what to do, I just followed my instinct, and my instinct told me, "Yes." I finally forced myself to say.

Zer0 got up, "I'll be right back, I'll bring supper up here." Then he was gone.

I slumped against the wall muttering to myself, "holy shit, what did I just do?" I actually had a date for the first time in my life. How in hell did that happen? I wondered if I was dreaming and tried to wake up, but no. This was as real as ever. I waited nervously for Zer0 to return in the gathering darkness and took deep breaths to calm myself down.

Zer0 returned shortly with what was every Sanctuary citizens main food, Moxxi's pizza, and everyone's water, rakk ale.

I nodded at his mask, "how're you gonna eat or drink?"

A section of his mask slid up revealing his smiling lips, "like this."

I grinned and took a slice of pizza glad for the distraction. We ate in an awkward silence not sure what to bring up, but I was starving anyways so I consumed the most pizza really fast, though I had a stomach ache afterwards from shovelling the pizza down my throat.

I finally sat back with one of the rakk ale bottles sipping it slowly. Zer0 was sitting closely beside me with his bottle too silently drinking. Finally after ages he asked me, "Raven, how did you honestly feel when Bloodwing died?"

"Horrified." I muttered,my mood suddenly somber.

Zer0 nodded then took a drink out of his bottle. I had a sudden curiosity about something I always wanted to know. "Zer0, why do you never show your face? And why is it that you always talk in haikus, until all of a sudden now with me?"

Zer0 seemed to hesitate for a long time. "Raven, my past is complicated, and some things I wish to remain secret until-until I know you, but you know I am an assassin."

I nodded, "yeah, I've seen the wanted posters of all of you. But you are on Pandora now, and amongst friends."

"I've been betrayed too many times to count. As an assassin, you learn to not trust anyone, even your closest allies. It has led to too many loses..."

I stopped there, thinking that it would be better to not ask anymore of Zer0. I changed the subject suddenly, "you know, I never told anyone about how I came to Pandora."

Zer0 looked at me with a question mark over his visor, "how?"

I took a deep breath actually wanting to tell some one about my past, needing to tell somebody. That was why I brought it up. This was my chance since I had gained back my memories. "I grew up in a town on Promethea. It was small and out of the way of any big cities, but it was a perfect place to me. Everyone knew that I was a siren there, and they feared me to some extent, but only because I was so unpredictable and untrained.

I had a brother, he was much younger than me, and my mom stayed at home to raise us, while my dad worked as a teacher at my school." I smiled bitterly school hadn't been that great of a memory for me, "I grew up in school pretty much an out cast for most of my years, when I was very young, my class bullied me and thought I was a freak. I all stopped though when I lost control in grade ten, and almost blew a girls head off." I chuckled lightly.

"My parents knew that the government watched us closely out of fear of my powers, and for the longest time up until I was seven, other corporations and planets, though particularly Hyperion had a close eye on me and had constant political battles to gain control of me. When I was seven I understood what was going on, and the fact that other planets all over had different interests in sirens.

Some hated sirens to the very core and wanted them completely eradicated, while some wanted to use sirens for their own personal gain such as The Order Of The Impending Storm, while others wanted to find more about sirens, meaning strapping them to a lab table and experimenting on them."

I paused as I was getting to the hardest part of my story, "my parents loved me immensely but had no idea what to do with my powers, though they never abandoned me like some parents would do.

When the government of Promethea managed to finally get thier message clear that they weren't handing me over to anyone, the other planets and corporations gave up, except for two attempts to try and breach the planets military defences to get to me. But those attempts failed and for eight years it was all quiet, until Hyperion came."

I swallowed hard.

"I remember running out the door after my little brother who was bothering me all day to go outside. And when I did step out, the sky grew dark and all of a sudden there was chaos all over the place."

I felt tears coming to my eyes as I was consumed into my memories.

"I guess Hyperion had managed to breach the planetary defences and then they took me and my family on Jack's orders. The last thing I remembered was trying to run away when my mom and dad told me to, but getting knocked out and I woke up in that ship and found my town was levelled flat and I was headed for Pandora with my family."

I stopped unable to say more feeling grief consume me. I bowed my head and felt Zer0 wrap his arms around me and pull me close to him, "I'm sorry Raven, that sounds awful."

I smiled when another realization hit me, "but here, I have a family. Sometimes it feels like home, because of all of you." I looked up at Zer0 then laughed a bit, "minus the killing, I never grew up like that, and never expected to."

Zer0 then said in my ear, "I'm glad you said yes, Raven. Thank you for tonight."

I smiled, I was was glad too. Though I never said anything, because I heard the voice modulator crackle back on, plus I had just fallen asleep.

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